The war where I found love
by Sissi
Summary: It's an A/U. There are four lands, all in peace. Suddenly evil appears. The four rulers'll have to join forces to fight against the enemy. Will they win? Will romance develop meanwhile it? it's F/F,U/C and H/L.r/r*Complete*
1. Default Chapter

Hello minna! This is my first fanfiction of Magic Knight Rayearth. As you will notice, I only used the characters from Clamp, the story is going to be totally different. Well, enough of babbling and let's go to it! Hope you'll enjoy it.  
  
Sissi  
  
P.S.: I don't own MKR !  
  
There was a world divided in four lands or countries. Each one was controled and governed by a person who had a lot of will to keep the land safe. These countries were : Cephiro, Rayearth, Selece and Windon. The land of Cephiro was ruled by Princess Emerauld; the land of Rayearth, by the Magic Knight of Fire Hikaru; the land of Selece, by the Magic Knight of Water Umi, and the land of Windon, by the Magic Knight of Wind Fuu. Among the four rulers, only Princess Emerauld could not fight, because her duty was to stay at the palace and pray for the safety of Cephiro, while for the Magic Knights, it was their duty to pray and also to fight against anyone who may try to invade their lands.  
  
Each country was in peace with each other. There was no war, and there was an abundance of food and water. Everything was fine in this world. The three Magic Knights were very close friends, and they spent days talking with each other, gossiping and having fun. They would never invade the other country because of their friendship.  
  
Each Magic Knight had a mystical beast, a kind of "monster" who possessed the same element as their source of magic. Selece's beast was a water dragon, called after his country. Rayearth's beast was a wolf with a mane of fire around his neck, also called after its land, and the beast of Windon was a four-winged bird, who could produce the worst hurricanes in the world. Its msgic was based in the wind ( air ), and its name was after its land as well. These beasts, when necessary, could transform into big robots, called Mashins, and the Magic Knights would enter them and behave as one. That's why no other being had the courage to fight against them, because when they abd their mashins were one, they were invencible.  
  
Princess Emerauld was a graceful young girl, although she was older than you can imagine. She was in love with Zagato, her adviser. The love was mutual, and he decided to help her to rule the country and make everyone very happy. The princess had a younger brother called Ferio, a handsome young man, great at the swordship. He had green hair tied in a small ponytail, and had some scars on the face. He didn't like the title of "price", so he didn't wear his royal clothes and passed his time training in the forest.  
  
Princess Emerauld's court consisted of Clef, the best Sorcerer in Cephiro, Ascot, a great summoner, Caldina, an illusionist but also a great dancer, Lafarga, a swordman and Lantis, Zagato's younger brother but also a marveloud knight and Presea, the "blacksmith".All of them sweared to protect Cephiro with their lives.  
  
The people of each land didn't see much each other, but they did trade products. It was a peaceful era. But, one day, a woman arrived. Her name was Alcyone, a witch who was in love with Zagato but, the love was one- sided. This caused her to hate everything related to him, to the princess Emerauld and Cephiro, her homeland.  
  
Her hatred was so big that she started to gain more and more evil power within her, until she thought it was time for her revenge. Her heart, once full of love and compassion, was now full of ice and hatred. She didn't want to suffer anymore, so she built walls around her heart, so no one would be able to harm her any further.  
  
Her first target was , obviously, Cephiro. She wanted to destroy everything, the people and its rulers. She didn't want to harm the other countries, because they didn't do anything against her, but if they decided to join forces against her, they would pay, in a hard and painful way.  
  
The people of Cephiro started to get nervous and afraid. They could sense that something wasn't correct, but they didn't know what. Their fear and doubts gave Alcyone more and more power. "Even in a pure heart, there are always fear and doubts. No one will be able to stop me! My dear Zagato, you will watch your precious princess die in front of your eyes...slowly and painfully...Ahahaha!" laughed Alcyone. With this set, she started to walk towards Cephiro, leaving behind her a path of destruction. 


	2. Chapter Two

The war where I found love  
  
Hello minna! Well, this is chapter two. I know the first one was very short, but this one, hopefully it will be longer and more interesting, with more action. Well, there will only be romance in the sixth chapter, I believe. I already have the whole story made up ( in my head ), so don't worry, I won't lose interest in it. Well, anymay, have a nice time ^_^  
  
Chapter Two  
  
The wind was heavy. The weather had changed dramatically. No one dared to know what was happening. But, they had hope that it was nothing and soon, everything would turn out finel, as if it was all but a bad dream. And, if there were any problem, they believed their princess would solve it, being the pillar of Cephiro...  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~" ~"~"  
  
In the palace...  
  
"Zagato, I am afraid. The people knows something is wrong, but even us don't know what exactly is the cause of all the weather's disturbance." Mentioned Emerauld. Her green eyes showed fear and nervousness. Her eyes had always been pure and easy to read. It had always been a window to her very own soul, where her deepest feelings abode.  
  
"Emerauls, you do not need to get so proccupied. I am sure it is only a hurricane or a storm that is approaching, nothing more. Why don't you try praying one more time?" asked Zagato, Emerauld's lover and adviser. He always had good advices and he had always been right in his guesses. So, with this in mind, Princess Emearauld left the room where they were to the Prayer Room, to have some rest and get concentrated.  
  
She sat on the couch, waiting for her heartbeat to slower alittle bit. Every time she was near him, she always felt like this. Like a foolish fifteen-year-old schoolgirl. 'But, I am not fifteen anymore...' thought Emerauld, with a soft smile on her face. She clasped her hands together and knelt on her knees , always staying like that during her praying times.  
  
'Oh please, let Cephiro, this wonderful land remain as peaceful and beautiful as it has always been, Let the storm that is approaching leave this place. Let all evil far away of here, remaining only love, hope, goodness and...'  
  
"Aaaaaaahhhhh"  
  
"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~ "~"~  
  
She felt on the floor, unconscious.  
  
Zagato was wandering in the room where they both talked just minutes ago. What could be happening? It acnnot be something serious, could it? I mean, Emerauld would have swpt away any evil or dark force from here, so there should not be any problem...'  
  
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh"  
  
"Emerauld ! "  
  
Zagato didn't think twice and reached down to the Prayer Room. He found Princess Emearuld there, lied on the floor. Her face seemed pale and showed fear and it was all covered in sweat. He gently picked her up to take her to her bedroom, to rest. As they walked to her bedroom, all the servants came and started to whisper. 'I am sure this gossip will travel through the whole palace and sooner or later, all Emerauld's court will be here.' With that in thought, he increased the speed and arrived at her room. He put her on the bed, careful not to wake her up. Then he sat on a couch to think about the events that had just occured.  
  
'Clef and the others will soon be here. They will be asking many questions like what happened and so on.'He did not ming about telling them what happened, but the problem was, he had no idea of what caused Emerauld to faint on the floor. He could not find a logical answer. She was fine moments ago, talking and laughing with him.'What happened?'  
  
All Zagato's predicaments turned into reality. Suddenly, Clef appeared, with a strange look. Later, Ferio arrived, full of aweat ( he was training ^_^ ) and...fear. All the others appeared one by one, trying to stay calm and to know if Emerauld would be ok or not.  
  
The doctor arrived a few minutes later. He examined her, took her pulse, heard her heartbeat, mesured her blood pressure and saw her pupils. His face was hard and serious. It was impossible to know what he was thinking. It was also impossible to know if there was a problem with Emerauld or not. This made Zagato feel a little more irritated, but he kept that for himself. Some minutes later, the doctor finished his examination.  
  
"So, is she ok? " asked a very tense Caldina. She was slightly shaking and couldn't help it. It seemed as if she would faint any time.  
  
"It seems that she had a shock. Phisically, she is fine. But, I cannot assure you if she will be fine when she wakes up. Maybe she will have a headache, but nothing really serious. What was she doing?" asked the doctor.  
  
"She was praying, I believe." told Zagato.  
  
"Well, to have fainted because of such a shock and being praying at that moment, she must have had avision of something terrible that is happening to Cephiro" commented the doctor, thoughtfully.Everyone started to look at each other. The lasts words sounded very true, and no one had thought about it till the doctor mentioned it. But, if it was true then...Cephiro was in danger!  
  
Everyone showed shock on their faces but in different ways. Caldina fainted in Lafarga's arms. Ferio's eyes were wide, extremely wide. Clef kept his face still, showing no emotion, as if he was reconsidering the fact. Askot started to blink many times, as if all he heard was hard to digest. And it was. Zagato was only thoughtful. 'It makes sense, but what is happening then to Cephiro?' he thought. Then, they heard someone moaning.  
  
It was Princess Emerauld.  
  
"Princess Emerauld!" all of them shouted, though some called her only by her first name, without the title.  
  
"What...What happened? Zagato, Ferio, Clef...Everybody, what are you doing here?"asked a confused Emerauld.  
  
Everybody was shocked. They thought she would start telling her vision, but she must have forgotten about it!  
  
"Humm, Princess Emerauld...Could you tell us your last vision before you fainted"asked quitly Clef. Averyone's attention directed straightly to her.  
  
"Oh...no, that was horrible...I, I,I...Everyone was dead!And, and...Cephiro was a complete desert...with no life nor water nor people!" cried a desperate Emerauld, trying to control her sobs, unsuccessfully.  
  
Kabrum!  
  
The sky was all dark, with lightnings all over it. The rain started to pour, slowly and gently in the beginning, yhen hard and with no mercy. A voice could be heard, an icy and evil tone...  
  
Everyone was surprised by this sudden change in the weather. It wasn't pleasent in the morning, as all the citizens of Cephiro had noted before, but now, it worse, much worse.Suddenly, a package broke into the room through the window, shattering the glass into tiny shards of glass. It flew to the bed, next to where Emerauld was. She opened it with trembling hands, not wanting to know its content. There was a box. She opened it. A image started to form in the air, a hologram. A hologram of Alcyone. Zagato recognized her immediately.  
  
"Well, hello my dear Princess Emerauld. I see you have already recovered from your sudden sickness. Do you still remember the vision you had? So, that is how Cephiro will be when I destroy it. Ahahaha! So, you want to know why I am doing this? Well, ask Zagato, he probably knows what I am talking about. Just a little hint : one-sided love and revenge. Well, this will be the last time I am going to see you all. The next time, you will be lying on my feet, dead. Ahahaha!"  
  
And the image disappeared.  
  
Everyone was still watching the box, as if it would destroy itself or something of the sort.Clef was the first to get out of the trance.  
  
"Well, Zagato, do you know what she was talking about?" asked Clef.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why is she furious with us? What did we do to her?"asked one more time Clef.  
  
"Her name is Alcyone. I met her once. She fewll in love with me, but I did not love her. I loved and I still love Emerauld. I told this to her, that it was a one-sided love, to forget about me and to find out there her true love.Probably she wants revenge because of me, not because of Emerauld." Finished Zagato. He felt guilty, because in a certain way, it was his fault.  
  
"So what are we going to do?" asked a timid Askot.  
  
"Zagato, do you remember if she was a strong witch whe you met her?"asked Clef.  
  
"She was not that powerful. She was a fine witch, but there were many other witches more powerful than her in Cephiro. I just cannot understand how she got so powerful." Answered Zagato.  
  
"Sudden power. Hatred.Fear of being hurt again. Anger. She has evil power helping her"replied Clef suddenly.  
  
"What !" asked Ferio, Lantis and Lafarga, who had remained silent during the whole conversation.  
  
"It happened a long time ago, almost like this. There was a witch, full of hatred and anger. She used all her power to reunite all evil power in this world. Yes, there is evil power everywhere, the only thing is, there is always more light than darkness, so that is why we don't notice that darkness exists. Well, anyway, this evil power consumed her body and she was no kmore conscious of her actions. She started to destroy this entire world. The three Legendary Magic Knights of that time united their powers and their hearts and defeated all her. They sealed the evil power away and then the pillar of Cephiro, to show them her gratitude, presented each of them a land to rule. That is how the Legendary Magic Knights of out time possess lands to rule. Nevertheless, it semms that this woman, Alcyone, unlocked this evil power with her hatred and anger, and it seems that it has already possessed her body and soul." Tolf Clef.  
  
Everybody remained quiet. No one dared to say a word.  
  
"To save this world, we will need the help of the Legendary Magic Knight once more." Told them Clef, after a pause. All of them looked at him and nodded. The fate of this land was on the hands of the three Legendary Magic Knights. All the hope and the the fate of the world...  
  
So, did you liked it? Isn't it longer than the first chapter? Wow, I had written it on the paper, but it took longer to update because I was a little lazy to type on the computer. Sorry! Well, let me know what you are thinking about this story. Even if I don't get many reviews, I won't stop writing! Oh, if you wish, you can e-mail me, suggesting or just commenting, ok? My e-mail address by the way is simonelo13@hotmail.com  
  
That's all for now. Love ya all!!  
  
Sissi 


	3. Chapter Three

The war where I found love  
  
Hello minna! So, this is the third chapter. I hope you didn't have to wait too much for it. Anyway, have fun ! This chapter isn't full of action but, the next one, it will be. Now, I will stop babbling and let you read this story. Ja ne.  
  
Sissi  
  
P.S.: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth !  
  
Chapter Three  
  
"Clef ?"asked Princess Emerauld.  
  
"Yes, Princess Emerauld?" replied Clef.  
  
"Humm...How are we going to contact the Legendary Magic Knights? They do not live in Cephiro, and to meet them means that we need to go to their lands and ..."  
  
"I know. Listen everyone, I have a difficult task to some of you. As all of you know, our only hope is to have the Magic Knights by our side. But, to reach them, there will be a lot of dangers. The Magic Knights do not like to be disturbed, only if it something of great concern. So, on the path to reach them, there are some tasks that only the most skillful ones will be able to pass. Only after you have defeated all their tasks will you be able to talk to them and convince them to come to Cephiro and help us. Is there a volunteer?"  
  
Lafarga, Lantis and Ferio promptly stepped nearer Clef.  
  
"I am proud to know we can count with you three. But, I will only accept Lafarga's help. Lantis, as the head of Cephiro's army, you must stay. Ferio, as the prince, you know that you cannot leave Cephiro. Now... Askot, could you help me and try to reach to the Magic Knights?"  
  
"Sure Clef, anything the princess" Answered Askot.  
  
"Very well. Lafarga, you are one of the best swordman in Cephiro. So is the Magic Knight of fire Hikaru. So, your mission is to reach to her. Askot, you do have many good water monters, but remember,the Magic Knight of water Umi has many powerful water spells. Be careful. And now... "  
  
" What about the third Magic Knight, Fuu? " asked Zagato.  
  
"I will be the one to talk to her."  
  
"What?! You cannot do thet, Clef! What will we do without you here in the castle" asked Caldina.  
  
" Look, you do not understand. The Magic Knight of wind Fuu is amazingly powerful when she uses her wind spells.No one here knows a spell against wind or air spells. Actually, there is no spell against it."  
  
" Then why are you going if you know that there is no way to reach to her?" asked Askot.  
  
" I may not be able to defeat her, but at least, I believe my magic will be able to handle with her for a moment, and within this moment, I will ask her to join us to save Cephuro. "  
  
"How do you know that she will not refuse it?" asked Zagato.  
  
" Zagato, don't you know that the Magic Knights have one of the purest hearts in this world? That is one skill the Magic Knights must have to be a Magic Knight" told Princess Emerauld.  
  
" Yes, and I am counting on it."  
  
"When should we leave? The sooner we leave, the sooner this whole thing will finish." Told them Lafarga.  
  
" Yes, let's leave right now! " said a happy Askot, though he was trmbling in the inside.  
  
" No, we'd better leave tomorrow morning. With this, we will have time to prepare ourselves and our minds. Don't forget that this mission is extremely important to our future." said a serious Clef.  
  
" Clef, may I ask you something?" Askot asked.  
  
"Certainly, my friend." Responded Clef.  
  
" The way you told us about the Magic Knights... They seem to be very good people but..."  
  
" And indeed they are. They are very good people, with a lot of kindness, friendship and love in their hearts. Do not doubt about it."  
  
"Then, why do we need to pass through their tasks? Why can't we just go there and ask them?"  
  
"You do not understand."  
  
"What I can't understand? If I am making a mistake, the tell me what it is! I just think it is an absurd to risk our lives if we can simply just talk to them and persuade them to help us! That's all !" shouted an indignant Askot.  
  
" We need to pass through this task to prove them that we are worth of seing them."  
  
"Worth of seing them! But, they are not the most powerful beings in this world, there are..."  
  
"No, they are the most powerful beings in this world. They aved us once and we must show them respect! At that time, it was their duty to protect Cephiro, but once the Princess gave them their own lands, they became free of this duty. We cannot just simply go there and tell them to help us! "  
  
" But..."  
  
" Look, you do not know what it was to be a Magic Knight. Their duty was to protect Cephiro and only that. They did not have a life! They could not stay with their families, nor be with their beloved ones, nor have fun. They were a kind of slave of this land. Now that they are free of that...Sin...Do you really think..."  
  
"I understood Clef. I did not know that their lives were so... miserable. I am sorry for everything I said...I am just...scared..." cried silently Askot.  
  
Clef, once enraged, now felt his sontrol regain his body, and smiled to his friend.  
  
" Askot, don't get so upset. I am not mad at you, I just lost control. I am sorry for discounting all my nervousness on you."  
  
"No, I am the one who should be..."  
  
"Now, now, let's all get some sleep, will you?" asked Zagato. Clef and Askot suddenly noticed that the rest of the group hadn't left the room and had heard all their argument. Their faces showed tiredness and some concern, but now, it only showed tiredness.  
  
" Yes, you are right once more Zagato. Let's have some sleep, all of us".  
  
All of them left Emerauld's bedroom to tgheir respective bedrooms, except Zagato, who stayed a little more in Emerauld's bedroom, to watch her sleep.  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~" ~"~"  
  
Lafarga showed no fear, but inside he was trembling. He was a very brave man, he did not fear death, he was willing to give his life to save Cephiro. But, he was afraid of failing on bringing the Magic Knight to Cephiro. He was afraid because if he could not bring her there, his land, his princess, his people would suffer the consequences. And it would be all his fault...  
  
He stroke back to his roo. And sank ion his bed. He closed his eyes, but he felt sleepless. His soul was in a turmoil, and his consciousness would not let him sleep until he felt confident again. He sighed. It was going to a long night...  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~" ~"~"  
  
Askot found difficult to return to his room. His sight was blured, and he did not know why.Finally, after hitting some chairs and tables, he laid on his bed. He closed his eyes. The argument with Clef had got the his whole spirit out of him. He felt tired and guilty. He found out that everything he said showed only that he did not want to accomplish his mission and it made him feel sick.  
  
'How could I doubt Clef's order ? He is always right, I should have remembered that. Yeah...but that is already the past. Come on Askot, you've got to rest and save your energy for tomorrow. It is going to be a tough day.' He told himself.  
  
Finally, he fell asleep.  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~" ~"~"~  
  
Clef found easily his bedroom. He didn't bother to turn on the lights once hr arrived there. He just stood in the door, watching it in the dark. Blinking a few times, he finally decided to get some sleep. He had decided to read some spells before it, but his eyes just couldn't let him. Everytime he tried, his eyelids got heavier and heavier, and that was when he decided to come to his bedroom.  
  
He sat on the edge of his bed, trying to form a plan but his mind also couldn't sa=tand it anymore. Before he noticed it, everything became dark. A warm and a good feeling ran through his entire body. That was when he was sure that everything would end up fine.  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~" ~"~"~  
  
So, the next day they left Cephiro. They were told by Clef that, once they approach the frontiers of Cephiro and the Magic Knight's land, they would have to go walking, with no other means of transportation. So, their journey started. What will await for each of them? 


	4. Chapter Four

Hello minna! Well, sorry for the delay, school has already started and I'm busy at the moment.Well, I read all the reviews and I am glad that you liked this story. Yes, there will be romance, with Hikaru/Lantis, Umi/Clef and Fuu/Ferio, but I will emphasize on Fuu/Ferio, because it is my favorite couple. But, I also think the other couples are cute, so there will also be lots of U/C and H/L too! Now, there will only be romance on chapter seven, eight... not before it! I am sorry, you will have to wait for the romance, but I promise it will be very fluffy and cute and romantic and full of kisses and love ^^. I would appeciate if you have any suggestion for the story. So, let the show begin!  
  
Sissi  
  
P.S.: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth.  
  
The morning was chilly and freezing. The rain had stopped, but it started to snow. Almost all the mountains had snow covering them, like a pure white blanket. The lakes were frozen, but the fish that lived in it were still alive and swimming under the thick barrier of ice which separated them from the real world.  
  
Askot was riding on a fine brown horse. He was wearing his usual clothes, although they seemed a bit thicker than usual. Every time he breathed, a white fog was formed, telling us how cold it was. But, it seemed that it did not affect this silent and solitary summoner. He was concentrated on his task, and would not allow himself to lose.  
  
`The weather is getting worse and worse. I hope this nightmare will end up soon.' He thought to himself. He continued like this during the entire journy. He did not spoke to anyone except for some villagers to ask for directions. He noticed that their crops were dying and hat they did not have enogh food. He told them to go to the palace , where they would be recieved with happiness and joy. They accepted his advice and then he left.  
  
He travelled like this for four days till he finally arrived at the frontier between Cephiro and Selece. There was a blue barrier between the two countries, separating them. He sighed. Dismounting from his horse, he prepared himself for the all the dangers that would soon come.  
  
He passes through the barrier.  
  
He felt his body being swallowed by cold water, massaging his sore legs and arms, cleaning his head from all the problems that were heaving his head. His mind was clean like crystal. His skin, once dirty because of the journey and the lack of water due to the frozen lakes, was also clean and refreshed. He felt brand new. Slowly, this comforting sensation left, and he opened his eyes.  
  
He was in a forest.  
  
It was not a normal forest, with its green leaves and brown trunks. The trees and the floor were hard and blue, as if made of sapphir. And it was. There still were birds and squirrels living in the forest, but they were different from Cephiro's. They were of another specie, but in the same family. `How odd. Cephiro and Selece are only separated by a thin barrier, but the differences between them is huge.'  
  
He started walking. He did not want to lose time wondering about his beautiful country. His ears were alert fro any odd noise or movement. His eyes were looking for any strange sign. But there semmed to be none. He was feeling more relaxed and paying less attention for the forest. He started whistling.  
  
Suddenly, from nowhere, a small fox-like monster jumped on Askot. He tried to protect his face with his arms, but the monster was quick and had already made some scratches which were already bleeding. He used all his strenght and will to push away the monster. Kicking it in its stomach it fell away.  
  
Breathing hard, he tried to see who had attacked him so surprizingly. To his complete awe, it was a beautiful blue vaporeon. Vaporeons were a mystic monster, very rare and difficult to find. It was fox-like monster but with huge differences between it and a fox. A vaporeon has a mane around its head made of fish fin. Instead of a "normal" tail, it had a fish tail. It was blue and its skin was smooth like satin, without any fur covering its body, only thin scales.  
  
The vaporeon quickly regained its full force and was ready to attack its opponent. It did not think twice to jump again at Askot, claiming for his neck. Askot, now ready for the attack, summoned one of his best monsters, Shinsuei. Shinsuei was a white tiger with piercing green eyes. It was agil and coulc easily win from any enemy. At least, that was what Askot thought in the beginning. He soon found out that he was wrong.  
  
The vaporeon changed its target from Askot to Shinsuei. Shinsuei, noticing that it would jump and bite him, quickly jumped to a nearby tree. Vaporeon noticed this movement and blew an icy breath at the spot. Shinsuei dove to another tree, and the previous one was locked inside of a huge block of ice. Shinsuei tried to bite vaporeon but it easily moved away. When Shinsuei was distracted, vaporeon blew once more his fatal breath. Ice started to form around Shinsuei, who struggled to free himself. Soon, he was also locked inside of an ice block.  
  
"Nooooo! Shinsuei!" shouted a desperate Askot. Thimking hard, he summoned another of his monster friends, Huoma. Huoma was a white big horse with fire mane and tail. It was a fire monster. Huoma threw a fire blast at the ice blck, controlling the quantity of fire, to not burn his friend. Some second later, the block melted completely and Shinsuei was freed, breathing hard. Askot ran to his friend, hugging him and telling comforting words for all his effort to try to defeat vaporeon.  
  
Meanwhile, vaporeon just watched the scene presented in front of its eyes. It was observing every movement, as if it was judging them. Some minutes later, he attacked. At Huoma. Huoma was already prepared and dodged easily. He blew a fire blast at full power. Vaporeon tried to calm the flames that were threatening to burn it alive, but to no success. Whinig in pain, the fire suddenly was off.  
  
It was Askot who had stopped the fire. He told Huoma to stop the fire and it did as it was told. Slowly, Askot approached the wounded monster. Its skin, once beatiful and smooth was now burnt seriously. Askot had brought some medicine and used them on vaporeon. After passing some special oil on its skin and bandaging it, he left vaporeon resting under a tree.  
  
Vaporeon was observing every movement Askot gave. It noticed how he carefully applied the oil on its skin, how he carefully bandadged it. Finally understanding that it would not kill him and that he had a pure and good heart, he roared. Askot was caught up in surprize and thought it was going to attack him. But, suddenly, his head started to feel dizzy and heavy. He found himself drowning once more in that cold water, healing him from any wound. The scratches he had on his face disappeared and was new once more.  
  
This time when he woke up he found himself under the sea. He could breathe, which was something strange. He tried to touch his face but he felt something smooth around it. It was an air blister, givig him air. He saw a path leading to a gigantic palace and decided to follow it. He thought that he had already passed the task, because he had already defeated vaporeon, so he was calm. He walked for a few hours.' Wow, walking under the water is really hard.' He thought playfully.  
  
When he was almost there, five male mermaids appeared and blocked his way. They made a circle and Askot found himself in the middle of the circle, with no way to escape. He gulped.  
  
" H..Hello. I am Askot and...I am here to see the Magic Knight of water Umi." He told them.  
  
"We know that. But, to see her, you must defeat the five of us."  
  
"What! But, I have already passed throgh your task!"  
  
"You have passed by only a part of it. The second and final part is to defeat the five of us"  
  
Askot had to decide. Mermaids were very powerful beings, specially when they fought under the water.'Damn!' he thought. He had to see her. But, he had to choose the correct monster for the battle. It would be tough and he could not afford to lose or see his friend too wounded. He sighed. It coun not be a fire monster bacause they were under the water. `Maybe an ice one can handle it' thought Askot. `Then it must be the most powerful one'. Finally he was ready.  
  
"Maximum Power!" From a magical circle with a star inside it appeared Üpin, a silver gigantic fish, with gold fins and blue eyes. Üpin was already ready for the battle, by what his friend Huoma had told him in the other dimension where they were kept.  
  
"So this is your monster? It seems that we are going to win, my friends" said a male mermaid, the captain of the group. The other four mermaids smiled in knowingly and prepared themselves.  
  
"Üpin in the most powerful being here and will easily defeat you!" shouted Askot. He was enraged that someone was courage enough to insult one of his friends, It was something that he just could not bear.  
  
The five mermaids started attacking Üpin by the sides. As they were five and very quick, Üpin could not attack them. He blew ice daggers every time he saw a mermaid ready to punch him. Sometimes he was successful, but then, an other marmaid would appear and punch him. The fight continued like this, with Üpin recieving all the punches, slaps and blows of energy from them. He was fighting preety well, but he could not stay like that forever, He was already losing a lot of stranght and he was tired.  
  
" My friends, let's give him our full power and finish it! " told the captein mermaid.  
  
The five mermaids gathered together and united their forces. An immense ball of energy started to from between their hands, which were streched out in front of their bodies. He ball of energy was getting bigger and bigger. When it had the size of a house , they freed it. It went directly at Üpin's direction. He was too tired to move away, and if he received the blast of the ball of energy, it would certainly be his end.  
  
Askot could not believe that they were going to do this. The ball of energy was getting bigger and bigger and soon, they would free it and attack with it at his friend. He gave a quick glance at his friend and saw the tiredness in his eyes. Suddenly, he knew that he would not dodge away from the attack. He would receive the full blast and it would be the last time he would see his friend again...  
  
"Noooooo!" Askot shouted when he saw the ball of energy flying in the direction of his friend. He did not think twice. He swam with all his will and strenght in the direction of his friend. He would not let his friend die. If they were willing to die for him, then he would also die for them.  
  
Askot jumped in front of his friend, wanting to receive the whole blast if this could save his friend from death. But, oddly, nothing came. The air was terribly calm. He opened his eyes. He saw the five mermaids standing in front of him, smiling.  
  
" What happened? Where is the attack?"  
  
"You proved to be worth of seeing the Magic Knight of water Umi so we stopped the attack." Answered the mermaid.  
  
"What? But, what did I do?"  
  
"First, you saved vaporeon from death, when it was your enemy. You proved mercy and pure heart. Now, when you jumped in front of your friend to save him, you proved to have courage, friendship and loyalty for your dear ones. That is why you will see her now."  
  
He followed the mermaids, who led him to that immense castle he had seen before. They opened to heavy door and let him enter the room.  
  
The room was all blue, ornated with fine paintings, tables, chairs and plants. Once, he entered, the air blister disappeared. There was air in tha palace! He continued to walk when he noticed a big door made of sapphir. When he was appraching it, it suddenly opened by itself.He entered.  
  
It was a magnificent room. It was like all the rooms he had passed but it was much moer luxuous and spaceful. There was crystal candlestick on the roof, illuminating the entire room. On the other side of the room, opposite to where Askot was standing, there was the Magic Knight of water Umi, sitting on a golden throne, decorated with sapphirs, emeraulds and rubies.  
  
"So, you wanted to see me? Well, what is your name?" asked the beauty in front of him. She had long blue hair and warm blue eyes. Her skin was white and her lips were red, giving her a beautiful contrast of colors on her face.  
  
" Hum...My name is Askot. I am from Cephiro."  
  
"I am Umi, you may call me that. So, what do you want? "  
  
"Cephiro has terrinle enemy that we cannot defeat by ourselves. We need your help to defeat her." Answered Askot. He was getting more and more anxious.  
  
"Hum...Interesting. But, I know that Cephiro has great sorcerers and knights, whay do you need me, or better, the magic knights?" asked a thoughful Umi.  
  
"How do you know that we are asking for the help of your friends too?" asked a shocked Askot.  
  
She smiled. `He is so cute when he is shocked' she thought.  
  
"Well, we are always together, the three of us. If you want my help, probably you will want my friends' help too.I can't explain very well, but let's say it is a woman's intuition." She said, then gave him a quick wink.  
  
"Hum...er...Ok then. So, will you help us?"  
  
"You haven't told me the reason why the people of Cephiro cannot defeat this enemy by yourselves."  
  
"It is because of the legend. It seems that evil power has returned once more and took the body of a woman, Alcyone, to attack us. By the legend, it was the three Legendary Magic Knights who defeated it ans sealed it away."  
  
"What!!! I cannot believe it! The seal was broken?!" asked an astonished Umi.  
  
Whem he heard her voice, he noticed that the situation was really bad.  
  
"Y...yes. It is true. It was Clef who told us. It was him whi told us to ask for your help."  
  
"I cannot believe it! If the seal was broken...We must leave at this exact moment. Your other friends are at Windom and Rayearth?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Ok, then let's leave. We do not have time to lose. Please, tell me exactly the situation while we go to Cephiro, all right?"  
  
"Sure, I'll do everything to help Cephiro."  
  
"Great. Now, let's go."  
  
`She is really a very nice person. Clef was right: the Magic Knights are people with a great heart. She did not hesitate to help us, even knowing that it is not their duty anymore. I hope we will become good friends.' He thought .  
  
And then, they left to Cephiro.  
  
So, did you like it? Well, the next chapter is about Hikaru. See you then!  
  
Sissi 


	5. Chapter Five

Hello minna! Sorry for the delay, but now, here it is, the fifth chapter! Yeah ^^. The romance is coming, just wait a little more. The names I used for monsters came from my own imagination, except for vaporeon, which came from Pokemon. Except for it, all the other monsters are mine. The names I gave them are Chinese, not Japanese. Hey, thanks for the reviews, you guys are great! Well, now I will stop talking and let you read this chapter. Have a good time ^^  
  
Sissi  
  
P.S.: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
The sun hadn't risen yet, and the air was still very cold. People were still sleeping, in their cozy little houses, wishing for one more good day at work. A solitary tall man, riding on a horse was the only awaken being on the road. He was wearing a dark silver armour, with a sword tied to his waist and the cape floeing behind him as the wind gently passes by. He had a serious face and he did not dare to laugh, as if it would be a great sin if he did that.  
  
Some hours later, he stopped near a forest. He decided to hunt and and rest for a while. After a good and successful hunting, he prepared a fire and started to cook the deer he had killed. The forest was silent and the animals were afraid of this strange creature invading their home.  
  
`Don't be afraid. I will soon leave this place and everything will be back to normal. At least, I hope...' he thought bitterly.  
  
The meal was soon finished and he prepared his things. He mounted on his horse and it galloped quickly. He did not want to waste time, especially at that moment, when time was their enemy.  
  
The days passed quickly and soon he was there, between Cephiro and Rayearth. The only thing separating the two lands was a thin red barrier, like the one between Selece and Cephiro, the only difference being the color. He dismounted his horse, patted it warmingly and sighed. It was time.  
  
He grasped tightly his sword and closed his eyes. He stepped forward. Suddenly, evrything became dizzy and blackness envolved his entire body.  
  
He felt his body burning, with merciless flames consuming his flesh and soul. He thought he was going to die before he completed his task, and it made his heart stop. `No, I cannot let this happen' he shouted in his mind. With this objective in mind, he started to fight against this strange heat burning him. He had to win, he had to. The flames became hotter and the heat was unbearable. He could not stand it further. His skin was screaming in pain and he could do nothing to less tthe pain. He calmed his heart and prepared himself for the death. A single tear escaped from his right eye and ran down his cheek. Oddly, the tear did not leave his face. It continued running down his cheek, then his chin, then his neck, then his chest...It traced his whole body. Oddly enough, everywhere the tear passed, the flames disappeared and his skin was brand new. Some time later, his body was already healed and fine and then he opened his eyes.  
  
He found himself in the moddle of a path, leading to the top of a volcano. The trees nearby were all burden up and there was no sign of life. There was no city nor civilization. He had no idea of what to do, but he thought that walking on the path would be the best choice. If he got lost, all he had to do was turn back and walk on the path on the opposite direction and soon, he would be back in the beggining. Having this in mind, he started to walk.  
  
The soil was soft and not difficult to walk on. He had no problem with it. The only problem was the lenght of the path. It was very long, and there was a part where he would need to climb the volcano, and it would be tough, specially when he had no special equipment. His legs were aching and hurting a lot. His armour and sword were very heavy and he had to use all his strenght to continue walking. He knew that at the moment, those two items were useless, but if he were in a fight, they would be of essencial help.  
  
Some hours later, after climbing the volcano and reaching its top, he found out that he did not feel the extreme heat of it. His skin was somehow protected and suddenly, he remembered the flames covering his body and burning his skin. It was at that moment that he found out why he had suffered by that painful experience : to have his skin cold when he were near of strong heat, like of an active volcano. He thanked the gods for that and observed his surroundings. There was no sign of life, when he spotted a something small near the lava. He approached the place where he saw that creature. He opened his eyes in complete shock.  
  
"Who are you?! What are you doing here, child? Get away of here or you will get burned seriously." He told the girl standing near him. She was a pretty young girl with bright red hair and beautiful red eyes. She wore a red dress with protections on the shoulders and had some jewels on her clothes. She had a beautiful dark red ruby on her left glove and she was smiling.  
  
" I belong to this place. You are the one that should not be here. What is your name and what are you doing here?" asked the girl.  
  
"I am Lafarga, and I am here to find the Magic Knight of fire Hikaru. Do you know where she is, girl"  
  
"Yes, I do. At this exact moment, she is standing in fron of you" she sa9id, smiling.  
  
"What!" he shouted in surprize.   
  
He cound not believe it! The powerful knight Clef had told hem was only an innocent child! He shook his head, as a way to clear his thoughts. He was confused and did not know what to think about the whole situation.  
  
"So, you wanted to see me?"  
  
"Y...Yes. I want your help."  
  
"Well, fine. But, by the way, you will have to defeat me if you want me to listen to your request. I am sorry, but it is all this protocol."  
  
"Protocol?!"  
  
"Yeah, I cannot talk to anyone unless you defeat me with a sword. Oh, I mean, anyone except the other Magic Knights. Did you know that they are my best friends?"  
  
"Ahn...No, I did not know that."  
  
"Well, they are. Now, let's stop with this conversation or else, we will not have time for the fight and you seem very eager to talk to me. So..."  
  
She jumped on him, and a sword came out of the the red ruby she had on her left glove. He quickly pulled out his own sword and protected himself from the attack. When the swords touched each other, a strong ball of energy was made, creatu=ing a huge crater on the floor. They soon got far from each other, breathing hard.  
  
`Wow, I have never fought with someone so good! It is going to be a tough fight.' He thought, thinking of a plan.  
  
He did not have time to formulate any, because a second later, she was attacking again. She aimed at his chest, but he stepped behind and dodged the attack. He used his sword and within a small movement, he created a hollow in the air, that would cut anything. She jumped into the air and easily escaped from the mortal attack. This was his special technique, and it was mortal. He liked this technique because with it, his blade would not be bathed with the enemy's blood. He never liked to see blood, even if it was the enemy's. He breathed deeper and tried again. She was a skillful swordwoman, he had to admit. But, he would not lose, he promised to himself.  
  
The fight continued like this. He did not let her attack, attacking all the time. But, unfortunately, she was very quick and easily jumped away from the attacks. He was losing stranght and he knew that. He had to think on something, or he would lose.  
  
He saw all the rocks in their surroundings. She had used them as a place to land after the attack. He had an idea.  
  
He continued attacking, but this time, he was aiming his attacks at the rocks. Soon, Hikaru did not have any more rocks to land at. She had to jump in the air and land on the ground, making her stay in the air for a longer time. Lafarga, continuing with his plan, quickly sent another attack, but this time, he sent it while Hikaru was still in the air, so she would not be able to escape from it.  
  
His plan worked and Hikaru receided the whole blast of the attack. She had skillfully moved her body so she would not get very hurt, but nevertheless, she enjured her right arm, exactly the arm she uses her hand to grab her sword. The fight was over, and the winner was Lafarga.  
  
"I won it fairly. Now, will you listen to what I have to say?"  
  
"Yes...But, could you first help me with my arm? It is hurting, and a lot."  
  
"Sure. Sorry about it, I did not mean to hurt you but there was no other way." He said, bitterly.  
  
"Hey, no problem. You were really smart. It is a pity that I did not notice your estrategy before, I am not as smart as Fuu-chan " she told him, with a small smile on her face, even though her arm was in a lot of pain.  
  
He helped her, cleaning the wound and bandaging it with his scarf, which he ripped to use it as bandages. She smiled during the whole procedure. She knew from the beginning that he was a good person, he had passed through the pure fire task!  
  
"You know what I am thinking?" he asked her.  
  
She gave him an inquisitive look and shook her head.  
  
"I think that I would not have won this fight if I had not passed trhough that fire that envolved my body. It turned my skin imune to the heat of this volcano. Could you please tell me what was that?"  
  
"Sure. But first, let me tell you something. The task you had to pass by so you could see me was, in reality, that fire that you felt envolving your body when you passed through the barrier, not this fight."  
  
"What?! "  
  
"Yeah, that's the truth. It is called pure fire. A special fire envolves your body and soul, that is why it hurts even more than a normal fire. Only the people with the strongest and purest hearts are able to pass through it. And you passed. The fight we had was only a disguise, you know. Even if I had won the fight, you had already passed through the task and I would listen to you. It was only a game, really." She told him with a huge smile on her face.  
  
He thought about that for a moment. So he was able to talk to her since the beginning!.  
  
"Look, you should have told me that before.With this fight, we lost precious time. Be prepared for what I am going to say: the seal has been broken and evil is back."  
  
"What!! You mean, the seal that used to lock all the dark force in this world...."  
  
"Yes. It possessed a woman's body and she is going to attack Cephiro. We need your help, yours and the other two Magics Knights, like in the legend. Will you help us?"  
  
"Of course I will! But, if this is true...I cannot believe it! How was it possible? My ancestor had locked it with all her will, hers and the other Magic Knight's will."  
  
"I do not know, but we must hurry up"  
  
"Yes, you are right. But first, I must call my friends, Fuu-chan and Umi-chan."  
  
"The other Magic Knights?"  
  
"Yes. Why?"  
  
"My friends are already doing it. Do not worry."  
  
"I hope your friends will be fine"  
  
"Why? "  
  
"My task is not very hard, you see. All you had to do was to have a pure and good heart. But my friends, they are a little more severe than me, and their task is...Harder than mine."  
  
"No problem. My friends are very strong and I am sure they will be fine. Now, we need to leave Rayearth and go to Cephiro."  
  
"All right."  
  
They left Rayearth at that exact moment. Hikaru, using her magic, created a ball of fire, which envolved their bodies and flew in the direction of Cephiro. It was very fast, and what took four days for Lafarga to arrive at Rayearth, it took ten minutes to Hikaru to arrive at the palace.  
  
Hikaru, once the so cheerful young girl was now very serious. She knew the consequences of breaking the lock, the war that was approaching, the number of deaths and the enormous trouble she was in. But, she did not mind, because to save Cephiro and this world, she would giver her life to do it. But, she was not alone. Umi was already on her way. And Fuu, the other Magic Knight, would soon reunite with them.  
  
Ok, this is the end, for now. Did you like it? Well, there isn't as much action as the task with Umi, but I hope that is ok . Now, I have a question for you. I don't know anymore with whom I am pairing Umi with. Askot or Clef? I like both of them, and both are cute with Umi. So, when you review, please tell me what you think, ok? Or, if you want, send me an e-mail, of you don't want the others to read your opinion. So, that's it for now. Thanks again.  
  
Sissi 


	6. Chapter Six

Hello minna! Finally, I'm done! Here is the sixth chapter, as you all asked for. But, first, I'd like to thank you guys, who reviewed and sent me e-mails and supported me to continue. Thank you very much!!!! Well, I haven't decided yet about Umi/Clef/Askot, but whoever I choose, there will be lots of the two pairings, so please, don't get mad at me. Now, this is the chapter where finally, we are going to meet the last Magic Knight, Fuu. This is also the last chapter without any romance, so be prepared for the next one ^_~. Ah hun, let the show begin ^^  
  
Sissi  
  
P.S.: I do not own Magic Knight Rayearth.  
  
The sun hadn't risen yet and the people were still sleeping comfortably in their cozy and warm beds. The birds hadn't start singing yet, but they were already awaken, spying on a mysterious man, riding alone on a fine white horse, grabbing the reins with one hand and with the other, holding protectively his magical stick. The wind was blowing carelessly, making his lavender hair fly along his face. The weather was changing a lot from what it used to be, and it preoccupying him. A lot.  
  
His journey went on like this, with no words nor tiredness. He rarely slept, and soon arrived at the frontier of Windon and Cephiro.There was a green barrier between the two countries, and no sign of life could be seen. He was alone. Another wind passed by, this time, more gentle, soothing his soul and tired body. The journey had drained all his strenght, and he did not know if he could make through it. His legs and arms were sore due to the fact that he did not stop riding his horse for a long time. His horse was nonetheless in a better than its rider, and it was breathing hard with wobbling legs.  
  
Clef watched carefully the sky. It was not that bad, but instead of its normal blue, it was gray and thundering. There was no rain, but certainly, it would come in a matter of minutes. His body was so tired that he could not move or walk. He stood there, until the it started to rain.  
  
The rain droplets touched his face, slowly and carefully. It was strange, the droplets were so warm and ... it seemed as if the nature was trying to ease his already precarious state. He did not move, just stood there, his body being washed by the water falling from the sky. Whe he was only a child, he had always imagined that the rain was the angels tears falling from the sky. At the moment, he was feeling the same thing he felt everytime he saw the rain : a warm feeling in his heart, as if the angels knew his problem and were crying with him, to help to ease his tearful heart. It felt so nice...  
  
He stayed like that for a long time until the rain stopped. He blinked. The rain had been do fast, but it had helped him fell much better. He felt renewed. His strenght and hope and returned and he was ready for the challenge . He grabbed his stick and stepped forward. Everything went black.  
  
He felt himself floating in the middle of nothing, where time was insignificant. He felt free and light. He could feel taht he was naked, but he did not care. It was so good and comforting there...that he did not want to wake up anymore. A slight breeze passed by and enveloped his body. It was warm, and relaxed even more his body. It played for some minutes with his lavender hair, then it stopped. He felt his feet touch something soft and all of a sudden, he felt wearing once more his clothes. He opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of a desert. There was no sight of any oasis and he was lost, with no sign of civilization.  
  
He sighed. It was going to be long journey, for sure.  
  
He started to walk, but the landscape ahead him stayed the same. He walked for half an hour, but it did not change. He doubted about how big it actually was, and guessed that he would never be able to know the answer. All of a sudden, he heard a sound. It was light and semmed like someone was whistling. Then, he caught sight i=on something approaching the place where he was. It was small in the beginning, so he was not able to distinguish what it was in the reality. Then, the noise became louder and louder, and it no more sounded like someone whistling. It sounded like the call of death, because the moving object that was approachig was a huge and mortal hurricane! He started to run desperately, not knowing what to do. There was no way how to stop a hurricane, at least, there was spell that he knew that could stop it. If it were typhoon , it would be easier, because then he would just freeze it. But, in the desert, there was no water, and not only that, the hurricane had  
sand within it, making it more mortal. The sand, spinning around at that speed, could easily cur anything, even steel. What would he do?  
  
The hurricane was getting nearer and nearer, and his legs were almost giving up. He could not handle it any more, and he had to plan something, or else, he would die.He stopped. He would face it like a man, even if it costed his life.  
  
"Protector Shield!" he yelled. He evoked his one of the most defensive spells he knew, and prayed that it would be able to resist the hurricane. It did work out for a moment, but the shield soon broke off, even when Clef was using all his strenght to reassure it. The hurricane swalled him and he felt the sand cut through his body, making many wounds all over his body and face. Then, the hurricane "spat" him and he fell on the the sand, bleeding profusely.  
  
He tried to rise, but he was too wounded to do that. No sooner had he got to his feet then the hurricane decided to attack again. Clef was laready very hurt with this only attack, and if he did not do something, it would be his end. He looked around, searching for anything that might give him some idea.' Why did it have to be a desrt, why not the ocean...ocean....water....I got it!' he screamed in his mind.  
  
Concentrating once more, he casted aother spell. This time, a water spell. From his stick, a huge amount of water flew out of it, and went in the direction of the hurricane. The water, mixing with the sand, soon became a type of clay. He continued adding water to it, until it became more solid and then, he stopped. The hurricane, now consisting of clay, continued advancing quickly towards him, until it suddenly paralized. Because it was spinning very fast, the wind dried the clay, and it became hard until it stopped moving.  
  
"I...I got it!" he exclaimed triumphantly. He had never faced death or such big danger, and he had survived. He was fillingwonderful, the adrenaline still flooding through his veins.  
  
All of a sudden, the desert disappeared and he found himself floating in nothing once more. That gentle breeze covered his body once again, and he heard, this time, a sweet voice saying something. It sounded like music and while he listened to it, trying to find out who this voice belonged to, the breeze slowly healed all his wounds. He felt that his magic was also returning, after using all of it in his attack. Slowly, the breeze left and he opened his eyes. He blinked.  
  
He was flying! ` Oh ny God! How am I flying? ' he thought, seeking for a logical answer. He did not knew the spell to fly, so it was impossible for him to be flying at that exact moment. But he indeed was!  
  
Thinking carefully, he found out that it shoud be the Magic Knight's deed, and that his task was not finished yet. He decided to enjoy only for some seconds, and flew away in the direction of the flully clouds surrounding some floating mountains. He enjoyed himself a lot, but soon decided that it was time to return to his duties. He flew around the mountains, trying to see if it was related to his task and wanting to be prepared to it.  
  
After investigating his surroungings, he suddenly stopped. In front of him, there was a floating mountain with a huge door, There was also a strange sign on top of it, with an unknown meaning. As he approached, the doors opened themselves slowly, inviting the stranger to come in.  
  
Clef knew that, if he wanted to finish with this soon, he would need to enter and face the new danger. He was not prepared for that and it annoyed him. He was a person used to schedule everything he did, but this journy was turning out to be related to a person's luck and fate. He breathed deeply, inhaling and exhaling one in a time. H entered.  
  
It was a huge cave. There were torches of fire illuminating the place, and the walls were made of mirrors, each different from each other. Some of them gave the impression that you are thinner; others gave the impression that you are taller, and others gave the imnpression that you are fatter. They showed you all the ways you could be or dreamed of being, but none of them showed your true self.  
  
`What a strange place...' Clef thought to himself.  
  
It was obviously a labyrinth. The target was to find the exit. `Well, this must be easier than that hurricane. She must be trying to find out if I am smart enough to get out of here. A fighter must have courage, strenght and intelligence' he told himself this. He started to think.  
  
He tried to find air draft, but there was none. The doors were closed once more, leaving no gaps to let the air enter the cave. He tried to destroy the mirrors, but everytime he did that, the mirror would rebuild itself again. He tried for many hours, and he was starting to get a headache.  
  
" Oh my God!! What should I do!" he shouted to no one. He was tired, hungry and could not get out of there. It seemed like a jail, but it did not bother him. What bothered him the most were his reflections. They were all staring him, as if they were piting him. He tried not to look at them, but it was impossible. They were everywhere.  
  
`I will get mad if I don't find the exit soon. Come on, Clef, think!" he told to himself. `There is no way to get out of here using magic. If I use water, I will get drowned. It I use any type of magic beam, the mirrors will reflect it back at me. If I use fire, I will get burned. This place is full of mirrors, it must mean something...But what? A mirror...What does a mirror do? It reflects the truth ot the reality. The reality...But none of these mirrors reflect the reality! They all distorted it!' he thought quickly. He knew that he was getting nearer to find the exit.  
  
"I did not find any mirror here that reflects the reality as it is. So...the exit must be the mirror that reflects the reality!" he shouted.  
  
After discovering this, he quickly walked through the corridors, paying attention to the reflections. Suddenly, he noticed a single mirror at the corner. It showed a lavender-haired short man with boyish features. It was him the way he was. He stretched out his index finger in the direction of the mirror. His finger passed through it. It was a portal. He stepped in.  
  
He foud himself inside of a huge room, with a fine green carpet decarating the floor, beautiful paintings hanging on the walls and candlesticks illuminating the room, giving it a comfortable and warm atmosphere.  
  
On the other side of the room, there was a throne richfully decorated with precious gems. But, there was no one sitting on it. It was empty. Out of nowhere, a shadow appeared after Clef. Jumping slightly because of the shock, he watched her face carefully.  
  
She was a beautiful young girl, with golden hair and deep green eyes. She was smiling, sending shrills all over his body. She was so beautiful...  
  
" Hello. I am the Magic Knight of wind Fuu. May I help you?" she asked kindly.  
  
"Yes. I am Clef, from Cephiro. I need your help."  
  
" I will help you with all my pleasure. But, what is the problem, may I ask?"  
  
"The seal that used to lock the evil was broken. It possessed the body of a woman, Alcyone, and she is going to attack Cephiro at any moment. Do you remember the legend?" he asked, making a pause.  
  
"Yes...I do. So, it was unlocked..." she said, suddenly looking thoughful.  
  
"Will you help us?" he asked her once more.  
  
"Sure, but as the legend said, the three Magic Knights united their forces and locked it away. We will need the help of my friends, Umi-san and Hikaru-san."  
  
"Do you mean, the other Magic Knights?"  
  
"Yes. We need to go to Selece and Rayearth immediately."  
  
" Do not worry. My two other friends are already on their way to these lands."  
  
"Will they pass through the tasks?"  
  
"I am certain about it. They are very faithful to Cephiro and possess very willing hearts. They will pass through anything."  
  
"Oh, Hikaru-san's task is not that difficult, but Umi-san's...It is kind of hard."  
  
"Oh, but I am sure that..."  
  
"I believe in you. Now, we must hurry up and go to Cephiro. How did you come here?"  
  
"On horse."  
  
"It will take us too much time. Do you mind if I used a spell to take us there faster? My people will take care of your horse, so do not worry about him. He will be fine."  
  
"I do not mind."  
  
"Ok then. Let's go outside."  
  
She went straight in the direction of a mahogany door, near the throne. It was the exit of that mountain. Once they stepped there, they were out of the mountain.  
  
"Wind, my elemental power, let me join you so we can become one..."she whispered to the wind. As if listening to her call, a gentle breeze enveloped her body, making her float in middair. Her eyes were closed, and her body was relaxed. Then, the same happened to Clef. He felt something around his body, and then he found out that he was flying once again. But this time, his speed had increased immensely, and he did not need to make any effort to speed up. `So this was the spell you were thinking of...Very smart...' he thought.  
  
During the journey they were quiet. The tense between them was evident, so Clef tried to ease a little the atmosphere.  
  
"The mirror task...It was very intelligent and very different. How did you think of a task like that?"  
  
"I just inspired myself with the reality."she answered him calmly.  
  
"With the reality? What do you mean?" asked a confused Clef.  
  
"In the world, we, people, usually wear a mask. We hide ourselves from everybody, so no one can find out who we really are. If we do not hide, we try to change ourselves. And, this is not a good thing. We must always be sincere to the others, but specially to ourselves. Normally, when a person sees herself in the mirror, she just sees her imperfection, not all her good qualities. We are humans, not gods, so we cannot be perfects. That labyrinth where you stayed, there were only mirrors that showed what you wanted to see, not the real you. Only people with pure hearts would be able to pass through the task, because pure-hearted people are happy with what they have." She told him,never leaving a sweet smile on her face.  
  
Clef listened to all her words and got shocked at all her knowlegde about life. She was indeed very young, but already knew many things about this life. She knew that people wear masks during their lives,something that you would only find out after many long years of study of philosophy.  
  
"Now I understand why you are so powerful. You don't have only a lot of strenght, will and intelligence. You also understands the real meaning of life."he said.  
  
She nodded and they continued with their journey. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Hello everyone! It took a while but I'm finally here, with a new chapter. The last chapter was a little bit...tense, but it had nothing to do with Fuu and Clef. They get along very well, but the situation was very serious, and Fuu, being the most...down-to-earth one, became really worried. That's why there was all that tension. Is your question answered, liz? Ok, now let's go to this chapter. I tried my best to make it sound very romantic, but if you thought that it wasn't enough, just tell me and I'll try harder next time. And, of course, I will try my best to make it longer. Now, have a nice time and please review.  
  
Sissi  
  
P.S.: I do not own Magic Knight Rayearth.  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Three days had passed since the depart of our three friends. The weather had gotten worse, and all the citizens 0of Cephiro were now living in the castle, looking for safety. Princess Emerauld had been quite distressed with the whole situation, because she had to wait for three days and there was no answer of her friends. The days had passed very slowly, although Caldina and Ferio tried their best to cheer her up. To no avail. She was silent most of the time, waiting. Waiting for the salvarion... Waiting for the end...  
  
"Sister, Askot has returned!" said a very happy Ferio.  
  
"Are you serious Ferio? You are not lying to me to make me feel better?"  
  
"Of course I am. Do you think I would lie about something do important?" he said, indignant.  
  
She smiled and apologized.  
  
"I dd believe in you, Ferio. You are my little brother..." she said, warmingly.  
  
"Ok, ok. They are waiting for you in the main room."  
  
"I will be right there in a second."  
  
"I will inform it to them." With that, he left his siter's bedroom.  
  
'So, the Magic Knight of water is here. Maybe we should have hope...' with that in mind, she left her bedroom and went towards the main room.  
  
The main room was a very nice place, with big windows, fine sofas and paintings. Sitting on a blue couch, there was Umi, waitib=ng for the princess. Before anyone could announce the princess's arrival, she satood up and made a reverence. Princees Emerauld, surprized that she knew of her presence evn before appearing in the room, asked:  
  
"How did you know that I was behind the door?" she asked astonished.  
  
"I sensed your magical zephyr" she said, smiling some seconds later.  
  
"Oh, I see. It is a pity that I cannot sense it as weel. Anyway, nice to meet you, Magic Knight..."  
  
"Please, let's forget about the formalities. Just call me Umi."  
  
"Well, Magic...Umi, I am glad that you accepted to join us in this war. You did not have to, but you decided to help us anyway, so you have my consideration and frienship for ever."  
  
"Come on, Princess Emerauld, you do not need to be so formal with me. I am here because it is my wish, and you as well will always have my friendship"  
  
"That is good to hear. By the way, do you know if the other Magic Knights are also going to join us?"  
  
"I have a slight opinion that they are heading towards this place." She smiled.  
  
"Oh, that wonderful!"  
  
They heard footstepd coming from the outside. The door burst open and a young woman, Caldina, stepped inside of the room.  
  
"Oh, sorry princess, but the other magic knight is here. Oh, she is so cute! She has red hair and she is so cheerful!" said Caldina. She was dancing while she was telling the news.  
  
"Good. Please, tell her to come in. And...Caldina, I do not think it is very polite to be jumping up and down in front of guests."  
  
"What? Oh, she is also very pretty. What is your name, sweetie?"  
  
"Ahn...I am Umi, nice to meet you"  
  
"I am Caldina, the most beautiful, sexy, well-buitl, charming..."  
  
"Huhum, Caldina, please, she is a magic knight."  
  
"Oh, really!! Oh, I am flattered to meet you! I did not know that you were a magic knight! You are as preety as your friend. Is thr=e third knight as beautiful as you?"  
  
"Ahn...Yes, she is..."  
  
"Caldona, plaese..." begged the princess. Caldina, understanding the hint, apologized and left the room.  
  
"Sorry about this. I hope you did not feel very dislocated while she was talking to you."  
  
"No, it was nothing. She just knid of...reminded me of Hikaru...Always happy and smiling. I just got really surprized."  
  
At the exact moment the Princess Emerauld was going to reply, the door was opened and a young red-headed girl entered. She was smilimg profusely, and when she saw Umi, she started ro run and hugged her dear friend in a bear hug, almost asfixiating her poor friend.  
  
"Hey...Hikaru...calm down...YOU ARE SQUEEZING ME TO DEATH!" shouteda blue Umi. When Hikaru stopped hugging her, Umi started to pant slightly. Hikaru, noticing this, started to apologize till Umi had to stop her, saying that it was nothing, that she was also very happy to see her again, etc.  
  
Hikaru I do not think that you have ever meet Princess Emerauld. Well, this is your chance. Here she is, Princess Emerauld. Princess Emerauld, this is the Magic Knight of fire, Hikaru."  
  
"I am glad to meet you, Hikaru-san"  
  
"Oh, so you are the princess?! I am so happy. Everyone told me about your beauty and kindness and now, I finally got to meet you! Ah, call me Hikaru, not Hikaru-san. We are going to fight together so we've got to become good friends. Unless you wnat to call me Hikaru-san, like Fuu-chan always calls me. Do you knoe her? She is very intelligent, and she knows lots of things and..."  
  
"HIKARU!!! Ahum...I think that it was enough. Princess Emerauld does not want to hear about Fuu at the moment. "  
  
"Oh...I am sorry..." Hikaru said, blushing slightly.  
  
"No, it was not your fault. Besides, I really liked you and I wish we will become good friends. I will meet your friend Fuu-chan soon, so don't worry. Later, when this war is over, you can tell me more about her, ok?" said a very calm Emerauld. She had enjoyed immensely Hikaru's presence and found herself eager to hear all her stories. But, that was not the moment, as Umi had politely made it clear.  
  
Askot, who was sitting on a couch far from where they were, stood up and joined them. Receiving a knowing look from Emerauld, he told the two girls that it was time to know where they were going to sleep : their bedroom. The three left the main room and walked alomg the corridors, chatting about the Cephiro's situation. As they passed many rooms, Hikaru spotted a tall man standing in front of the window, watching the lightmings appear in the dark sky. He had ebony hair and dark eyes, and was wearing a heavy armor and carrying a long sword along of his waist.  
  
Askot, noticing that Hikaru had stopped walking, looked in the direction of whatever she was staring at and got shocked. She was staring at Lantis!  
  
"Er...Hikaru? We should keep walking"  
  
"What? Oh, yeah...Just tell me who he is"  
  
"Him? Well, he is Lantis, Cephiro's army's captain. He is a great swordsman and he is the younger brother of Zagato."  
  
"And who is Zagato?"  
  
"He is Princess Emerauld's adviser and a powerful magician. He is also...er...Emerauld's ...boyfriend."  
  
"Really?! Wow, that's so romantic! Hey, do they kiss all the time..."  
  
Askot was already blushinga lot when he said that Zagato was Emerauld's boyfriend, so when Hikaru started to ask for more information about the pair, his face was as red as a tometo. It was even redder, if it was poccible. It was a crimson red! Umi, noticing that, if Hikaru continued with those questions, she would never arrive at their bedroom, and she was needing a very long bath, so she cut off the conversation anf they kept walking once more.  
  
"Hum, thajnks for that." Said a shy Askot.  
  
"It was nothing. I noticed that you were getting so rec that I felt it was my duty to rescue you." Said a teasing Umi. Askot, noticing the teasing, blushed once again.  
  
"What happened? Did I say something wrong?" asked a worried Umi this time, noticing his rosy cheeks.  
  
"No, it is nothing."  
  
"Are you sure? Are feeling well? Maybe you should take a bath and then sleep for a while. "  
  
"I will do that, thanks. "  
  
"You are welcome."  
  
Soon, they arrivedat their bedrooms. Umi's bedroom was in the left, while Hikaru's bedroom was n the right. The three said goodbyes to each one and continued with their paths. Hikaru could not help but think about that handsome guy called Lantis, while Askot could not stop thinking about Umi and her gorgeous smile. Umi, on the other side, could not stop thinking about a hot bath, cleaning all her body and realing her muscles.  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~" ~"~"~"~"~"~  
  
Princess Emearuld had stayed in the amin room, waiting for the third magic knight. If Umi were right, and she was sure of that, then Fuu would be there soon. She could not let a guest wait, specially someone so important for the fate of Cephiro.  
  
The time passed and there was no sigh of the third magic knight. She was alone, sitting on a sofa and drinking some tea to relax. Then, she spotted something flying in the direction of the palace. Actually, she spotted tww thingd flying in the sky. As the distance separating them became shorter, she could now see what had attracted her attention.  
  
'Oh, my God! It's Clef and a girl! And they are flying!' she thought, shocked. Flying was one of the most ancient dream of human beings, and it was impossible since the beginning of the world. And now, from no where, with no advice, she saw one of her best friends making this so difficult dream cone true. It was unbelievable!  
  
The two people entered the room by the window, which was unlocked by Emerauld. Her eyes were glimmering with curiosity and expectation.  
  
"Princess Emerauld. I have finally come back with the Magic Knight of wind Fuu with me. " he said.  
  
"Nice to meet you, princess. I have heard many rumors about you, and it seems that the one about your beauty is true." She said.  
  
"Thank you very much for the compliment. But, you are also very pretty, so do not say any further. It is my pleasure to meet you. Your other friends have already arrived and they are in their own rooms in the palace. Would you like to see you bedroom? Or, would you prefer to eat something before?"  
  
"Thank you for the hospitality, but I would like to go to my bedroom and ake a bath."  
  
"Certainly. I will call someone to take you there. Clef, we need to discuss somethings,ok?"  
  
"Yes, Princess, as you wish."  
  
Princess Emerauld smiled and then turned. She walked out of the main room, to see if there were any person naer to take Fuu to her dormitory. Some minutes passed and no one appeared. She was almost going to enter the room again when she saw her dear brother carrying his long sword, all wet of sweat because of the training classes he was attending with Lafarga.  
  
"Ferio! Come here please!"  
  
As he heard her sister's voice, he ran to where she was, anxious that something might be wrong.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"The third magic Knight is here. Will you take her to her bedroom? Please?"she asked, making a puppy face that she knew he would not resist. Looking at those big watery eyes, he sighed. 'She knows how to ask me a favor'he thought.  
  
"Ok, I will. But, I want a reward." He grinned at her shocked face.  
  
"Oh, come on Ferio, it will not take very long. And besides, you like cute girls. Right?"  
  
"Hum, yeah, I do. But, what are you trying to say?"he asked, suspicious.  
  
"Well, this magic knight is very pretty and I am sure you will have a nice time with her. So, what do you think?"she asked. This time, it was her who was grinning.  
  
'Wow, she is really my sister' he thought.  
  
"ok, sis, I will do as you wish. I just hope she is as pretty as you said."  
  
"I give you my word."  
  
Both of them entered the large room. He spotted a young golden –haired girl with extremely green eyes and snowy skin, talking to Clef in a very heated conversatio. She smiled once or twice, and the view of those smiles made his heart skip one or two beats.  
  
'She is beautiful...'  
  
"Fuu, this is my younger brother, Ferio. He will scoop ypu yo your bedroom, if you have no objection."  
  
She looked at Ferio with those piercing eyes. She examined this man i front of her, and could not help blushing slightly. He was a fine young man, with green ahir and golden eyes. He had some scars on his face, but what called her attention were his eyes. She has never seen that color before, and was amazed that they showed all his feelings.  
  
'He is so handsome...' she thught. And, once she noticed what she was thinking, she blushed a little harder this time. Emerauld seemed to notice that the two were feeling uneasy with her and Clef there, so she told Clef to go with het to the library, leaving those two alone.  
  
'Good luck, Ferio...'she thought.  
  
The two were there in the main room, alone. They did not dare to look at each other, afraid that they would betray their feelings. The silence went on till Ferio broke the silence.  
  
"You...Do you want to go to your bed room now?"he asked, after a pause.  
  
"Yes, please. "she answered in a low voice.  
  
They walked along the long corridors, talking about nothing as a matter of fact. They talked about the palace, Cephiro, Windon, Princess Emerauld...As they reached her bedroom, they stopped.  
  
"Well, this is your bedroom. Do you like it?"  
  
"Sure. It is beautiful"  
  
'Not as beautiful as you...'  
  
"So, I think I am going to take a bath. Will we see each other again?"she asked him timidly.  
  
"Hey, sure! Oh, by the way, we have dinner at seven, so you atill have three hours to rest."  
  
"Ok. So, see you later."  
  
Ÿeah, see you later then..."  
  
She slowly closed the door, wishing to have his face memorized in her mind. He, on the other hand, did not leave the front of her bedroom'd door till he heard the sound of water flowing freely , indicating that she was really going to take a bath.  
  
'I can't wait for dinner' he thought. He then started to walk slowly to his own bedroom, trying to find an outfit to impress her. 


	8. Chapter Eight

Hello guys! How are ya? Well, first I would like to apologize for not posting this chapter sooner. I am really busy this days, specially with the tests. But, I managed to write this chapter and I hope you will like it. By the way, Moonfairy is right, it passed four days since the three left Cephiro, not three days as I wrote at the last chapter. Sorry for my mistake. I hope you will not get very angry at me * hides under the bed * Ok that's all for now. Have a nice time ^^  
  
Sissi  
  
P.S.: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth!!  
  
Chapter Eight.  
  
'Humm...this is so great!!'  
  
Umi was taking a bath, a very long bath. The pink bubbles were covering all her body, and she joyfully blew them away, watching them fly for some seconds and then fade away to the eternity. She was already taking this bath for hours, but it only seemed like minutes.  
  
'Ok, I think it is time to get dressed and look for something to eat. Do they have lemon pies? They are my favorite!'  
  
With that in mind, she stood up. After showering, she grabbed a blue towel and wrapped it around her body. As she entered her bedroom, she spotted Hikaru sleeping on her bed. She looked very calm and relaxed, and Umi did not want to wake her up. But, she needed to get dressed ! Thinking hard, she found no other option then waking her up. But, she decided to do it slowly and gently. Stepping nearer her asleep friend, she shook her shoulders slightly.  
  
"Hikaruuuu....wake up, please?" she said a=in a low voice. But, Hikaru only moaned and continued sleeping.  
  
'This is getting hard...'Umi thought, ' Ok, if she wants this, then she will have it.'Umi thought maliciously.  
  
"HIKARUUUU!!!" she shouted, making her friend jump from the bed and fall to the floor. In a minute she was standing in front of her friend, her right hand grabbing her sword and waiting fro the enemy. Umi giggled as she saw the look of realization turning up on her friends face.  
  
"Umi!! Why did you do that? I was having such a good dream..." she pouted.  
  
"Really? May I ask you with whom you were dreaming with?"  
  
Hikaru blushed profusely when her dear frien d said that.  
  
"As I had imagined. It was a boy, right?"  
  
"Well...yeah, it was, but I do not even know him! So why were I dreaming with him?'Hikaru asked , eager to hear an answer.  
  
Umi rololed her eyes, remembering how innocent Hikaru was. 'She does not know that she is in love! Well, maybe it is just a crush, but ...No, I think it is serious. She never get this nervous when she is with a boy.'  
  
"Well, Hikaru...I think you are in love..."  
  
Hikaru's eyes widened in shock.  
  
"I...I am ... I am in love?"she mumbled.  
  
"Hey, Hikaru, let's talk about something else, ok? What did you think about the palace? Have you met all the people here? Hikaru, are you listening to me?" Umi asked, concern in her voice. Hikaru rose her head up, but her mind was somewhere else. She was confused.  
  
"Umi...I...I need some air. It was nice to talk to you but...I need to think. Bye" With that, Hikaru walked to the door and left.  
  
"Bye...Hikaru"  
  
Hikaru walked though the corridors, lost in her own thoughts. Could she be in love? Umi was a very intelligent woman, and she was always right in her advices. So she was in love with...Lantis. She had not told Umi that she had dreamnt with Lantis, but the truth was : she had. She could not forget his handsome features, his dark eyes that showed sadness.  
  
She walked for a really long time. Then, she saw a beautiful garden. She entered. After walking on the main path, she saw a fountain. There were two statues spilling water from their mouths. One was a beautiful woman, and the other was a handsome man. Both of them were wearing ancient Greek clothes, and they were looking at each other eyes very intently, full of passion and love. She stood there, watching the statues silently giving each other their own vows of love.  
  
"Hikaru-san?" asked an uncertain Fuu. She had talked to Umi after Hikaru had disappeared from Umi's bedroom. Umi was desperate, and did not know anyone to talk to other than Fuu. She told her her that probably Hikaru was confused and was afraid that she might do something that she might regret later. Fuu understood the whole situation and decided to look for her friend. She found her there, staring at those statues.  
  
"What? Oh, Fuu-chan...Hi" she said in a cheerful tone.  
  
"Umi told me everything."  
  
"She did? Fuu-chan, don't worry, I am just..."  
  
"Your heart is confused?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"I will not tell you what to do, but please, listen to your heart. It is the only one that can tell you hat you are feeling. Listen to it with all your might, ok?  
  
"What? Oh, Fuu-chan...Hi" she said in a cheerful tone.  
  
"Umi told me everything."  
  
"She did? Fuu-chan, don't worry, I am just..."  
  
"Your heart is confused?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"I will not tell you what to do, but please, listen to your heart. It is the only one that can tell you hat you are feeling. Listen to it with all your might, ok?  
  
"I will do that. Thanks Fuu-chan. You are a great friend. You and Umi. I do not know what I would do if you were not there to help me everytime I got into trouble. Thanks."she smiled at her friend.  
  
"That is what a friend does. A friend always try to soothe your problems. That is what Umin and I are doing. So, if you have any problem related to your heart, tell us. We will be very happy to help you."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Well, I think I am going to leave. I have had a wonderful bath and now I want something to read. Perhaps a good book"  
  
"You and your books. Don't you ever get tired of them?"asked a curious Hikaru.  
  
"Well, books are a great company, and you learn a lot of things from them. No, I do not think I will ever get tired of them" With this, she left the garden.  
  
"I will do that. Thanks Fuu-chan. You are a great friend. You and Umi. I do not know what I would do if you were not there to help me everytime I got into trouble. Thanks."she smiled at her friend.  
  
"That is what a friend does. A friend always try to soothe your problems. That is what Umin and I are doing. So, if you have any problem related to your heart, tell us. We will be very happy to help you."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Well, I think I am going to leave. I have had a wonderful bath and now I want something to read. Perhaps a good book"  
  
"You and your books. Don't you ever get tired of them?"asked a curious Hikaru.  
  
"Well, books are a great company, and you learn a lot of things from them. No, I do not think I will ever get tired of them" With this, she left the garden.  
  
Hikaru sat on a bench nearby, thinking about what Fuu had just said. 'Listen to my heart...' She was starting to feel an innner peace soothing her soul when she felt someone else sit beside her. She did not know why, but her heart started to race. It was beating faster and faster and faster... She opened her eyes. It was Lantis.  
  
"Oh...humm...hi"  
  
He only looked at her and nodded.  
  
"I am Hikaru. Askot told me that you were Lantis. Nice to meet you."  
  
"..."  
  
"Huh...you are not the type of talking a lot, right?"  
  
"I do not like to waste time."  
  
Hikaru widened her eyes. He was finally speaking!  
  
"But, when you talk, you are not wasting time. You are enjoying it."  
  
"To me, it is wasting time."  
  
"So, what do you do during your free time?"  
  
"...I train."  
  
"Wow, you must be a really good swordsman. "  
  
"..."  
  
Hikaru was feeling a little down, but she did not want to show that to him. Her heart had calmed, just a little bit. She felt a warm running to her face.She did not want to show him that she was blushing so she stopped the conversation and looked at the fountain with the two lovers.'They look so right together...'  
  
"Do you know who they are?" asked Lantis. Hikaru, once more, got really surprised but answered him.  
  
"No, but I guess they are lovers. Am I right?"  
  
"Yes, you are. She is the Goddess of the Moon, Selenity. He, on the other side, is only a shepherd, Endymion. Have you ever heard their legend?"  
  
"No, I haven't. What does it talk about?"  
  
" Endymion was only a shepherd. He worked hard and was very hand-working. One day, Selerity saw him and fell in love. Every night, while he slept, she went to his house and watched him. One day, the Supreme God discovered this and made Endymion fell asleep for all eternity. This made him young for all the eternity as well. Selenity, then, was able to live with her loved one, although he could never open his eyes anymore, he could only live in the dream world for ever."  
  
When he finished, Hikaru was crying.  
  
"So they...never stayed together?"  
  
"No, never."  
  
"Then why you have both of them looking at each other if they have never done that?"  
  
"It was Princess Emerauld's idea. She found the story very sad, as have you, so she decided to do something about it. Making them like this, she felt that they were finally together, and this made her very happy."  
  
"She is a very nice person...I really hope Endymion and Selenity are now together..."  
  
"It is only a story. Now, I must leave. It was nice to meet you, Magic Knight "  
  
"How did you...?"  
  
She did not have time to finish because he had already left. She sighed. The story was very sad, but now, everytime she looked at the fountain, she could feel that they were indeed together. And for all eternity...  
  
'I think it is time to get myself prepared for dinner'. As she thought that, she ran to her bedroom. She knew what she was feeling now. It was love...  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"  
  
"...So the she ran away and I can't find her! Oh Fuu, I think that I should not have said that! What did I do?" asked a very desperate Umi.  
  
"Umi-san, don't worry. Hikaru-san is a very fine girl and she will be just fine. Now, stop acting like this. It does not seem like you. I will look for her and you go to your room. No, better, go to the kitchen, eat something and relax. I will talk to you when I am finished with Hikaru, ok?" asked a very comforting Fuu.  
  
"Ok, I will try. But find her quickly!"  
  
"I will try. Now, go eat something." Commanded an energetic Fuu this time.  
  
Umi walked along the corridoes, still worrying about Hikaru. She had not found her because her head was full of worries. Otherwise, she would have found her easily just by sensing her magical zephyr. 'Oh my...'she thought bitterly. She presumed that it was all her fault. That was why she was feeling so miserable. 'This does not seem like you, Umi. Come on, wake up! 'She jerked her hear up and walked proudly along the corridors. 'I think I should thank Fuu for this. What would she like to receive as a present? A book! Ok, I know that there is a library here somewhere...but where?!'  
  
She wandered through through the rooms, met Caldina who had talked to her about fool matters which eased her heart. Caldina also told her the directions to the library, being her great "savior".  
  
After some minutes, she arrived at the library. It was huge, full of books, new and old ones. There were heaps of books on the tables, on the floor and half of them were opened. 'Someone must have been looking for some important information' she thought. Suddenly, she figured a lavender-haired man sitting on a chair, reading a thick book.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
The lavender-haired man rose up his face, and Umi could see his handsome face. His eyes were blue, naivy and intelligent. His skin was pale, because he spent most of his time in the palace, instead of having some free time in the palace's sorroundings. He examined her with his eyes and after a pause he spoke.  
  
"Hello young lady. May I help you?"  
  
"Er...yes. I want to borrow a book."  
  
He arched a brow, asking her why.  
  
"Hey, I know that I do not look like a veri intellectual person, but you cannot judge what you see."she said angry. Her face was red with fury.  
  
"I am sorry, I did not mean that. I was just asking you what type of book you would like to read." He told her camly.  
  
"Oh...Well, it is not for me, it is for my friend, Fuu."  
  
'Fuu?! Is she mentioning the magic knight? How does she know her? Unless she is...'  
  
"So, what type of book does your friend like, miss..."  
  
"Umi. My name is Umi."  
  
'As I imagined. She is also a magic knight. She is also very young. Is the third magic knight as young as her?' He shook his head. It was no time to think about it. There will be a moment when he will meet the other magic knight. At the moment, he needed to help Umi.  
  
"Well, she is a very intelligent girl, but she is also very romentic. Maybe a novel, but with a happy ending, of course. " she told him.  
  
"Ok. Does she like romance with some action, some adventures? "  
  
"Oh, I believe so."  
  
"Ok, take this one to her. She will like it." He handed her a green leathered book. The title was written on the cover in golden letters. It read : Mulan. 'Humm, I think I have already heard of this name...But I cannot remember at the moment. Well, it is thick so Fuu certainly will love it!' she chuckled at her thought.  
  
Clef, on the other hand, was watching her reactions. She certainly was very beautiful. Her hair was blue, and so were her eyes. They remembered him of the ocean, sometimes violent and sometimes gentle. The ocean had already made many ships sink, taking away people's lives. But, it also gives them life, by providing them fish and other seafood. It was a very inconstant thing...and so were his feelings. He felt a warm heat in his heart, amazing him.  
  
"Thank you very much..."  
  
"Clef. "  
  
"Thank you very much Clef. I hope to see you at the dinner." With that, she left the library with a sweet smile on her lips.  
  
"See you at dinner..." Clef whispered.  
  
~"~~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~  
  
( Ok, this is the part when she says good-bye to Ferio.)  
  
Fuu had just enterd her bedroom, feeling her cheeks hot. 'Why am I feeling so...strange?' she thought, trying to find a logical answer. But she found none. She decided that a bath was all she wanted at that moment. She went to the bathroom and let the water fill the bathtub. She stripped off her clothes and entered the tub. The water was hot, making her pale skin turn red in a question of seconds.She washed her hair and her body. When she was done, she stayed there, relaxing her muscles and her heart. She was still thinking about wwhat had happened some moments before.  
  
'Why did I feel so shy? He is just another person, another man...a handsome man...'she blushed at that thought. 'Oh my God, I should not think abput this. It is so...embarassing!' She got out of the tub and put on her armor.  
  
There was still two hours for donner, and she wanted to talk to her friends, since she had not seen them earlier. She felt Umi's magical zephyr extremely nervous and decided to look for her.  
  
She found her in her bedroom, talking to herself.  
  
"What happened Umi-san?"  
  
"What? Oh, Fuu...You are here. Please, help me, I cannot find Hikaru and it is all my fault."  
  
"Calm down first. Inhale and exhale. Inhale and exhale...Very well, Umi- san. Now, tell me what happened."  
  
"Well, I was taking a bath and when I finished, I had to wake her up. She told me that she had a good dream and I teased her, telling her that it must be a boy. She told me that it was true!!!Can you imagine our little Hikaru dreaming with a boy?!"  
  
"Umi-san, please, continue with the story."  
  
"Fine. I started to analyse the whole situation and I thought that she must be in love with him and I told her that. She got very confused and when I tried to calm her down, she ran away and I can't find her! Oh Fuu, I think that I should not have said that! What did I do?" asked a very desperate Umi.  
  
"Umi-san, don't worry. Hikaru-san is a very fine girl and she will be just fine. Now, stop acting like this. It does not seem like you. I will look for her and you go to your room. No, better, go to the kitchen, eat something and relax. I will talk to you when I am finished with Hikaru, ok?" asked a very comforting Fuu.  
  
"Ok, I will try. But find her quickly!"  
  
"I will try. Now, go eat something." Commanded an energetic Fuu this time.  
  
Umi slowly accomplished Fuu's order, to Fuu's relief.  
  
Fuu concentrated and sensed her friend. She walked slong the corridors, with her friend's zephyr as her guide. Some moments later, she found herself in a marvelous garden, with thousands of flowers and trees, not to coount the quantity of birds and butterflies. 'Cephiro was so beautiful...' she thought sadly.  
  
Then, she spotted Hikaru, sitting on a bench. She went to where she was and decided to calm her confused heart.  
  
"Hikaru-san?"  
  
"What? Oh, Fuu-chan...Hi" she said in a cheerful tone.  
  
"Umi told me everything."  
  
"She did? Fuu-chan, don't worry, I am just..."  
  
"Your heart is confused?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"I will not tell you what to do, but please, listen to your heart. It is the only one that can tell you hat you are feeling. Listen to it with all your might, ok?  
  
"I will do that. Thanks Fuu-chan. You are a great friend. You and Umi. I do not know what I would do if you were not there to help me everytime I got into trouble. Thanks."she smiled at her friend.  
  
"That is what a friend does. A friend always try to soothe your problems. That is what Umin and I are doing. So, if you have any problem related to your heart, tell us. We will be very happy to help you."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Well, I think I am going to leave. I have had a wonderful bath and now I want something to read. Perhaps a good book"  
  
"You and your books. Don't you ever get tired of them?"asked a curious Hikaru.  
  
"Well, books are a great company, and you learn a lot of things from them. No, I do not think I will ever get tired of them" With this, she left the garden.  
  
'It seems that my mission is over' she smiled to herself.  
  
She ecided to tell Umi this, but when she arrived at her bedroom, there was nobody there. 'She must be eating' reckoned a thoughtful Fuu.  
  
So, she decided to return to her bedroom and wait for dinner. She was almost getting there when she heard someone call her name. A very familiar voice.  
  
"Hey, Fuu! Wait a minute!" shouted a bright Ferio. Seeying her before dinner made him feel over the moon.  
  
"Oh, Ferio-san...Hello"  
  
"Please, just call me Ferio, ok?"  
  
"I will try. Did you want to talk to me?"  
  
"Er...Not exactly. I just wanted to know if you wanted to walk with me. I have nothing to do and I am feeling a little bored."  
  
"Sure, I would love to."  
  
"Hey, that is great. Have you gone to the royal garden?"  
  
"Yes, I have. But I would like to go there again. It is so beautiful."  
  
"Ok, so let's go!" Saying that, he grabbed Fuu's arm and took her to the garden. Whe Ferio grabbed her arm, Fuu blushed a lot, not being used to feel so intimate with the opposite sex.  
  
They arrived and stayed near the central fountain ( yeah, the one Hikaru was admiring in the beginning of this chapter). Fuu was also admiring the statues that composed the fountain and she seemed puzzled.  
  
"What is the problem Fuu?"  
  
"These statues. They shloud not be together, at least not both of them should be awake."  
  
"So you know hom they are?"  
  
"I believe so. The woman has a crescent moon mark on her forehead, so she must be the Goddess Selenity. She is lookig with love at this man, so he probably is the shepherd Endymion."  
  
"You are right. It was my sister who told the sculptors to build them like this, facing each t=other with love."  
  
"But why?"  
  
"She wanted to do something for them. She felt extremely sad for their fate. Building these statues made her believe that they are together, loving each other."  
  
"That is a very romantic wish..."  
  
"Yeah...she is like this."  
  
"By the way, I think we'd better go to the dinner room. It must be almost seven. "  
  
"Ok. Let's go there together!"  
  
"I would be pleasued." Replied a shy Fuu.  
  
Ans so they went to the dinner room.  
  
A/N: Wow, this was a long chapter. Oh, the story involving Selenity and Endymion is based on Sailormoon, which I also love very much. So...did you like it? Well, I hope so. Please review ^^ Ah, I think that I will have to update this fanfic evry week or fifteen days, so please be patient. I will try my best to make each chapter longer and more romantic, ok? Is that a deal? Ok, now I've got to go.  
  
Love you all.  
  
Sissi 


	9. Chapter Nine

Hi everyone! I hope you are all fina and I'd like to apologize for the long wait. I was really busy and besides, I didn't know the name of the magic knights'attack ( in English), so I had to see if anyone knew it. Hopefully Shazzam told me the attacks. Thanks a lot ^^. So, That's it for now and I hope you will enjoy this chapter.  
  
Sissi  
  
P.S.: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth.  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
The dinner room was almost complete, except for Fuu and Ferio. Princess Emerauld was sitting on her chair, talking to Zagato. Hikaru was also sitting on a chair, near Emerauld and Lantis, whom she tried desperately to catch his attention. But, he stayed frozen, staring at the table. On a corner of the room...  
  
"Hey, I am starving! When will the dinner arrive?" asked a famished Umi.  
  
"We need to wait for Fuu and Ferio to arrive. He is the prince and we cannot start eating without him" replied Askot.  
  
"Humm...Fuu is also missing...I wonder with whom she is at the moment..." she said, a grin spreading over her lips.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked a confused Askot.  
  
"Don't you see? Ferio and Fuu are missing...very suggestive..."  
  
"Huh...you don't think that they are together, do you?"  
  
"Of course I am ! Isn't it obvious?"  
  
"To tell you the truth, no. It could be simply luck that they haven't arrived yet. I reckon that you are only imagining things."  
  
"Am I? So look who are entering the room right now" pointed out Umi.  
  
Askot turned his head and saw the couple together, smiling a lot and with their hands together. He was wordless.  
  
"It seems that I was correct. Wow, aren't I the best?" she said, winking at Askot.  
  
Askot blushed and didn't respond. 'It is so strange...I feel so nervous when I am around her. I have butterflies in my stomach everytime she gives a wink or smiles. Why?' he thought fiercely. Before he could clear his mind, Umi dragged him by his shirt's sleeves to the dinning table.  
  
"Finally you both arrived. Did you have fun together?"asked a teasing Caldina.  
  
"I...I don't know what you are talking about, Caldina-san."replied shily Fuu.  
  
"Oh, come on, call me only Caldina, and you know what I am referring to."She gave Ferio a wink a huge smile. Lafarga, noticing their discomfort, decided to start a talk with Caldina, to distract her from them.  
  
The two sat far from each other. Then, Umi appeared dragging Askot. She sat down on her chair with a hungry face. Emerauld clapped and the maids appeared from the door, each of them with delicious food on their hands. The dinner started very cheeful and they talked about many things except for the war that would soon begin. They did not want to tense, at least for now, so Clef told the magic knights that they would discuss about it the next day, which they agreeded.  
  
They were in the middle of the dinner when they felt the floor trembling.  
  
  
  
"What's this?" asked Askot.  
  
"Hikaru! Watch out!" shouted Fuu, watching the floor where her friend stood start to cramble. Hikaru, hearing her friends warnings, jumped away from the soon immense hole that soon was created at the exact spot where she had been some seconds ago.  
  
"Does Cephiro has constant earthquakes?"  
  
"No. Actually, it is the first time that we have it." Answered Emearauld, fear in her eyes.  
  
Umi, Hikaru and Fuu looked at each other and shouted together.  
  
"Alcyone!" With that, they walked away from the room, leaving all the others astonished.  
  
Lafarga was going to follow them when Clef stopped him.  
  
"No, stay here."  
  
"But Clef...I need to help them."  
  
"It is not your fight. You have no chance, you will only distract them."  
  
"What! No, I will not. "He greeted his teeth, knowing that what Clef told him was true. But, he wanted to help them. He couldn't let those girls fight all by themselves.  
  
"Clef, what should I do?"asked Emearald.  
  
"You should pray, asking for the safety of the magic knights and of this castle. All the citizens of Cephiro are here. We must protect them. Caldina and Lafarga, go calm them."  
  
Caldina and Lafarga left.  
  
"Clef, how is it that Alcyone is here? I thought she was still in the North." Asked bluntly Lantis.  
  
"It seems that we were mistaken or Alcyone has trapped us."  
  
"What shall we do?"  
  
"All we can do is to wait."answered a sad Clef. And so they waited.  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"  
  
Umi, Hikaru and Fuu ran out of the castle. They were entering a deep forest, because they felt a strong evil energy there. They were right. Alcyonne was there, grinning at them.  
  
"So, you are really going to fight with me?" she asked playfully.  
  
"Yeah, we will. Is there any problem?" asked an angered Umi.  
  
"Actually no, but I will warn you now: you will never defeat me, so why try? You will only lose your precious lives."  
  
The three knights were angered by this. The three of them called for their swords, and they appeared from their respective gems.  
  
"Iiiaaa..."the three magic knights shouted in unisson.  
  
Although they were fighting together, Alcyone easily dodged each attack with her magical stick. She was smiling all the while, having a real nice time. While Hikaru was busy regaining her breath, Alcyonne punched Hikaru's stomach and kicked Fuu, making them fall to the ground. Umi, oustraged that her friends were harmed, she used her strongest spell.  
  
" Sapphire Typhoon!" a huge blue amount of water appeared from the bottom of her hands and aimed itself at Alcyone. But, she made up a transparent barrier , protecting her from the attack.  
  
"I can't believe it..." Umi said, in a loss of words.  
  
"Did you see this? You will never defeat me. Mortal daggers!"  
  
"What!" Umi shouted. There were thousands of daggers aiming at her. Even if she used her spell again, she wouldn't be able to destroy all the daggers. So, she waited for the blast.  
  
"Guardian Winds!" wind started to protect Umi, envolving her.  
  
"Fuu!Are you ok?"  
  
"Yes, I am fine. And you, Hikaru-san?"  
  
"I am fine. You know that I am very difficult to be defeated."  
  
"Right!"shouted happily Umi, seeing that her friends were ok.  
  
"Tsc,tsc,tsc...you shoudn't hane done that, my dear child. You just postponed your friend's death a little longer, but she will die in the end."  
  
"Stop! I will not hear you. Hikaru-san, Umi-san, let's attack together, like the legend."  
  
"Sure" the two other knights replied. Soon, the three of them were ready for the triple attack.  
  
"Emerald Whirlwind!"  
  
"Ruby Lightning!"  
  
"Sapphire Typhoon!"  
  
The three attacks united aimed the same enemy : Alcyone. But, instead of getting afraid, she just laughed. An evil laugh. Then, she grabbed her magical stick and conjured another spell, turning the three attacks into dust.  
  
"How?" mumbled Umi.  
  
"It's impossible..." said quietly Fuu.  
  
"I can't believe it..."replied Hikaru.  
  
"So, did you see that? You will never win. Freezing Hurricane!" shouted Alcyone, creating a huge hurricane made of mortal ice.  
  
"Wind Shield!"  
  
Fuu tried her best to protect herself and her friends but it was too strong. She couldn't take it any longer, and then, her shield disappeared, and the three knights were dragged into unconsciousness, in a pole of blood and sweat.  
  
The night was calm and serene. There was no sign of life in the forest except for a slender form hidden by the shadows.  
  
"Humm...It was so good this little fight.I was missing this smell of blood and this adrenaline. I should do it more often. I think I will let you three alive, so you may play with me again tomorrow. Until then, try to get any stronger. You were so weak..." and with that, she disappeared in a matter of seconds.  
  
The three magic knights laid on the floor, covered in their own blood. Their faces were pale and showed pain. Not only the physical pain but also the one bacause of their hurt pride.  
  
Time was passing quickly and the three girls hadn't arrived yet. All the people in the palace were getting nervous. There was no sound of a probable fight, only silence. A discomfort silence.  
  
"Clef, I don't care what you are going to say, but I will go to the place where thsy are fighting NOW! Lantis, Askot, will you come with me?" asked Ferio.  
  
"Sure." Replied Lantis with a different tone in his voice. A kind of warm, of the feeling of care...  
  
"Yeah, let's go. I can't wait any longer, I am getting mad with all this."  
  
The three brave men left the safety of the palace and ran straight into the Forest, their heart beating quickly, afraid of what they might find out. When thay saw that morbid scenary, their hearts seemed like they had frozen. The three girls, once so happy and joyful, full of life, lied on the floor, unconscious. Ferio gently picked Fuu up and embraced her in his warm arms with all the love he could show. Lantis also had Hikaru in his arms, in a tight but also caring embrace, afraid of losing his most prcious treasure. Askot was crying, and his cristaline tears fell on Umi's face, cleaning her blood stained face. Then, he also picked her up and the three went into the palace.  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"  
  
"Oh my God! What happened?!" cried out Emerauld. When Caldina saw the three girls in that state, she fainted. Zagato showed sorrow ih his deep dark eyes and Clef had regret on his face.  
  
"Put them over those tables. I will try my best to cure their wounds. Now, you all should leave."  
  
"No. I will stay here with Fuu."  
  
"Me too." Said Askot.  
  
"The same for me." Said Lantis.  
  
"Zagato and I will leave this room. Lafarga, please take Caldina to her bedroom. She must be exhausted after all this...occurrences." said princess Emerauld.  
  
So the four people left the room where more four people stayed, three of them refusing to leave that place.  
  
Clef sighed. Actually, he wanted to stay alone with Umi to apologize her for all the things that were happening lately, specially not letting Lafarga and no one else go and help them. "It is all my fault....'  
  
Clef started to inspect their wounds and noticed that they were very serious. They losing blood very quickly and their faces were very pale, indicating him that they needed a blood transfusion immediately until it became too late.  
  
"I will tell you the truth. I know a spell that can heal all a person's wounds and revitalize her magic. But, it is a very powerful spell and I have only strenght to heal one of them. The problem now is, whom should I heal first? I will only be able to perform it again only tomorrow afternoon.And...I am not sure if the other two will survive till then." So he said what he had to say. It was their decision what to do.  
  
Lantis, Ferio and Askot looked at each other, Each of them wanted their respective loved ones to be healed first, but they knew that it was selfishness. It was a really hard dilemma. Suddenly, Fuu started to move and she tried to open her eyes and focus on someone.  
  
"Ferio...Ferio..."  
  
"Fuu! Are you ok? How do you feel?"asked an eager Ferio.  
  
"I...It hurts so much..."  
  
"Calm down. Clef knows a spell to heal a person so don't worry."  
  
"Oh, good. And Umi, Hikaru..."  
  
Ferio bit his lips. He did not want to tell her their critical state, but it was necessary. Besides, he had to tell her that Clef was only able to heal one of them and the other two would...die.  
  
"Fuu...I...There is something I hadn't told you."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Clef can only heal one of you..."  
  
"Oh..."she closed her eyes. She didn't want to cry. No, she wouldn't cry, for the sake of her friends.  
  
'So there is no hope at all? No, please, PLEASE, there must be a way, please, someone, tell me!' she thought angrily. She couldn't restrain her tears anymore and they flood down her cheeks. She looked sadly at Lantis and Askot and saw sorrow in their eyes. 'Life is so unfair...'  
  
"Well, Fuu, who do you think I should heal first?" Clef spoke.  
  
"I don't know, I don't know...Why...It hurts so badly my heart..." she started to sob. She couldn't controll her body and she started to tremble.  
  
"You must decide, we don't have much time..."  
  
"WHY SHOULD I DECIDE WHO WILL LIVE AND WHO WILL NOT?!!They are my dearest friend and I will not leave alone! I will...We will stay together forever, as we have promised."she said, a fire burning in her eyes. Ferio was taken aback by her attitude but he understood her. If he were to decide if whether his dear sister lnor Fuu should live, he would have shouted, screamed and ran away.  
  
"...Humm...Where am I? " asked a confused Umi.  
  
"Umi! You are awake!" shouted happily Askot. But, his sudden bright face was substituted by a sad one.  
  
"Askot...Why are you so...down..?"  
  
"Umi...I...I wanted to say that I...I do care a lot for you!" blurted out Askot. Umi blushed slightly, rosing her pale cheeks.  
  
"As...Askot, why are you telling me this?"  
  
"Because it is the truth and I eanted you to know it."  
  
"I...I also...care about you..." she said shily. Askot's face brightened and he started to cry silently. Everyone was looking at the couple spilling out their feelings to each other, so no one so Clef's face when Umi said that. No one except Fuu, eho was watching him very intently. Fuu saw his eyes blank suddenly as if his heart had been broken into thousands of pieces. Clef closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears, which he successfully did. Fuu saw and felt all his sorrow and felt an urge to hug this poor man whose heart had been badly broken.  
  
"Askot...I think we shouldn't be talking about this here. Where is Hikaru? And Fuu?"  
  
"I am here Umi-san."  
  
"Fuu! Are you ok?"  
  
"Yes, hust tired. And you?"  
  
"Me too....I want so badly to....sleep..."  
  
"Umi-san!! Please, don't sleep...or you will never wake up anymore..."  
  
Askot saw her eyes slowly closing down, and he got desperate. 'Umi can't sleep or else, she will leave forever! ' He thought. He shook her shoulders, trying to keep her conscious.  
  
"Umi-san...Umi..please, stay alive so we can...grow up together..." pleaded Fuu. She was crying very hard, Umi was almost leaving her, and she didn't know what to do. One of her best friends was going to die in front of her eyes! She had to do something, even if it costed her life.  
  
"Hea...Healing...Winds!" cried out Fuu. Then, her body went limp and hard.  
  
"Slowly, green winds started to envolve Umi's body. Everytime a slight breeze touched a wound, it would clode it and take away the blood that once covered that place, as if there had never been a wound there. Her magical power were also returning to her, she could feel getting stronger and stronger. She felt the water inside of her, boiling from the great amount of energy in her whole fragile body. Then, it stopped and Umi opened her eyes. They were calm and peaceful.  
  
"Humm...What happened? I'm feeling great! How is it possible? Where is Fuu? I was talking to her when...NO!Fuu! What happened!?" she asked , running to her fallen friend in Ferio arms, who was creing all the while.  
  
"She...used a spell and then you were haled somehow" told her Lantis. Then, she saw Hikaru in his arms, well, actually he was only caressing her hair. She saw the pain in his eyes and the pracarious state of her friend.  
  
"NO...Fuu...Hikaru..."  
  
"Umi, can Fuu do this spell again once she is healed?" asked Clef. He has seen the spell and how it had healed Umi's wounds in just some minutes.  
  
"What?Yes...She can...Why?"  
  
"Fon, suei, kon chí, huou, thíen hán thü, pan uo iou lí chí lai pan zhé ghe nü hai...Healing Powers!"he cried out.  
  
Fuu's body started to levitate in midair, and a light engulfed her body completely. Everyone had to shut thei eyes so they wouldnt get blind. Ten minutes later, the light disappeared and Fuu was once again in Ferio's arms. She slowly opened her eyes.  
  
"Ferio..."  
  
"Fuu...ou are ok..." he said, tears rolling down his face.  
  
"Fuu, quick, use your healing magic to heal you friend Hikaru." Told her Clef, who was sweating and panting.  
  
Fuu immediately rose to her feet and went into Lantis direction. He nodded andstepped back.  
  
"Healing Winds!"  
  
The same wind started envelope Hikaru's body as it had done to Umi's, and some minutes later Hikaru was brand new once again. When Hikaru opened her eyes, she saw black eyes full of happiness. She smiled and kissed his cheek. Fuu and Umi, who where running to where she was, stopped abruptly and both of them blushed furiously. Ferio and Askot smiled and eack hugged their beloved ones.  
  
After this affectionate scene, Clef left the room to his room, his heart happy and sad at the same time. He was happy that his beloved one was safe and healthy, but she was in another's man's arms, and he couldn't do anything about it.  
  
The three girls hugged each other with joy. Then, their faces darkened. They weren't strong enough to defeat Alcyonne, even uniteng thei forces. The boys noticed thei hard features and decided to leave them alone. Ferio gave a gentle kiss on Fuu's cheek, whom blushed a lot. Hikaru gave a little peck on Lantis's lips and Umi hugged Askot and kissed his cheek.  
  
"What are we going to do? We can't save Cephiro after all." Replied a sad Hikaru.  
  
"No, we must protect this land. This is Askot's land and I will protect it!"  
  
"Wow, you are really in love with him" winked Hikaru.  
  
"I...Ahn...And what about you?! "  
  
Hikaru giggled.  
  
"I love Lantis since the first time I saw him."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Girls, I think I have the solution." Told them Fuu. Two pairs of eyes immediately turned to the quiet girl that had spohe those simple yet important words.  
  
"What is it?" asked Umi and Hikaru anxiously.  
  
"Our mashins. We will have to call for our rine Gods."  
  
"No! I don't want to involve Rayearth with all this fight."  
  
"But it is necessary. WE couldn't defeat her normally. With our mashins, there is a big possibility of defeating her."  
  
"Selece...So we will call them , right?"  
  
"Yes, it is our only chance. Do you agree with me?"  
  
Umi and Hikaru looked at each other and nodded.  
  
"Yes, we do." Both the girls replied solenmly. 


	10. Chapter Ten

Hello everyone! How are ya? Fine? I hope so...So, this story is almost in the end...what a pity, but I really enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it. This is not the last chapter, although the whole action part is here. There will be one last chapter, dedicated to love. It was kinda hard to write this chapter, because I am not very good at describing fights, but I tried my best, ok? So, let's go. Feel free to review and tell me what you think about the story. You can e-mail me if you prefer.  
  
Sissi  
  
P.S. : I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth.  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
"Are you sure that it is the only way to defeat her?" Hikaru asked.  
  
"Yes, I am. "  
  
"But, what if we lose? It will mean that she is undefeatable, and that there is no hope. I...can't even think about it..." replied sadly Umi.  
  
"Umi-san, Hikaru-san, I believe that with our mashins, we will defeat her. You all know that when we and the mashins become one, our strength and power increase considerably. Besides that, we will try once again to unite our powers, and I'm sure that combining our spells we will defeat her. " replied calmly Fuu. The other two just listened to her and nodded.  
  
That was their last chance and resource to win that war...  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"  
  
The three magic knights left that room to look for their beloved ones. Hikaru found Lantis talking to Zagato in the the dinner room. She didn't want to disturb them, so she waited outside of the door.  
  
"...I don't think Emerauld will stand it any longer. She is really getting weaker everyday."  
  
"I understand. "  
  
"What about the magic knights? Are they resting at this moment?"  
  
"I reckon that they are planning their next move. They were all so hurt...I ...I can't let Hikaru fight against that monster again! She will only get harmed and ...even die... because of Cephiro..."  
  
"Lantis...I know how you are feeling, but you must let her go. It is her wish in the first place."  
  
"I know that but it is so dangerous..."  
  
Hikaru had listened to the whole conversation and felt happinees and sadness at the same time. She was very happy that Lantis cared about her, but she wanted to fight...for him. She would rather die than let his land perish. With that in mind she entered the room.  
  
"Er...Sorry Zagato, may I talk to Lantis just for a second?"  
  
"Of course you can my dear Hikaru. I was going to see Emerauld anyway.See you latermagic knight."  
  
"Yep. See ya later! "  
  
Zagato left those two alone, to let them ease their hearts.  
  
"So, what do you want to talk about?"  
  
"Lantis, I want to fight, even if you don't like the idea."  
  
"...Were you listening to our conversation?" he raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Er...I couldn't help it! Please Lantis, I want to fight ! I want to protect this land, YOUR land!"  
  
"No...you shouldn't do this because of me..."  
  
"What? "  
  
"I will not stop you from fighting unless it is your wish to become stronger. But, I will not let you fight because of me."  
  
"Why? I don't understand you..."  
  
"You will never understand me, we are very different from each other." With that said, he started to walk to the ddor.  
  
Hikaru couldn't understand him. Why was he doing this? Didn't he love her? Wasn't love and happiness what she saw when she had opened her eyes? Her heart was beating fast and was breaking into thousands of peices. 'Maybe he doesn't love me...' she thought bitterly.  
  
"You don't love...I was so stupid to believe that you did..." she mumbled quietly, while tears stained her beautiful face. Lantis stopped walking but didn't turn back. He was fighting inside of his mind, inside of his heart.  
  
"...I do love you..." he said and then left the dinner room.  
  
"What?!" shouted desperately Hikaru. Did she hear well? Dis he say that he loved har? She had to know...  
  
"Lantis! Lantis! Please, stop, I need to know..." she pleaded to him. He stopped and turned his head, looking directly at her fiery red eyes.  
  
"Didn't I tell you that I love you?"  
  
"...Yes, you did. But then, why won't you let me fight for you?"  
  
"Because...because I am...afraid of losing you...And if you die, it will be because of my selfishness..."  
  
"But you will never lose me. Even if I die, I will stay with you forever, my soul and heart...I love you so much, Lantis..."  
  
"I also love you very much...my Hikaru..."  
  
The two ran into each other arms, hugging and crying at the same time. Tears of joy and of sorrow.  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"  
  
Fuu was walking to Ferio's bedroom. She wanted to tell him their plan and that everything would end up fine. She was almost reaching her destination when she spotted a lonely figure in the library, watching his world being torn apart. His world and his heart.  
  
She decided to talk to Clef first. She could talk to Ferio whenever she wanted, but with Clef, it wasn't that easy. She silently entered the library and saw his sad face. 'He is suffering so much...'she thought bitterly.  
  
"Clef-sama? Are you ok?"  
  
"Oh, it's you Fuu. Please, sit down. I am sorry, it is a mess but I was ..."  
  
"Please, Clef, open your heart to me. I saw how much you love Umi-san..."  
  
He paled at her words. He dodn't want anyone to know about his feelings, but he couldn't push away this good friend who was willing to help him to light his heart.  
  
"So, you know about my secret..."  
  
"Yes, I do."  
  
There was an awkward silence. Both of them tried to look at something else but each other. Fuu decided to break this silence.  
  
"Do you love her for a long time?"  
  
"I fell in love with her the very first moment I saw her..."  
  
"So, it was love at first sight? I know, she is a very beautiful and nice girl, everyone likes her" she smiled, remembering the first time she had met Umi. She was so bright and radiant, talking and laughing all the time.  
  
"Yes, and because of that, Askot is also in love with her...and she loves him back."  
  
"You can't tell this. She doesn't seem but she is a very reserved girl. She doesn't tell her secrets to anyone. Even to me or to Hikaru-san. A woman's heart is full of secrets. She may love Askot now, but maybe it is just a mask to hide her true feelings. "  
  
"Do you think that it may be true?"he asked, hope in his voice.  
  
"Yes, it is a possibility. As I said, she is a reserved person. You must tell her your feelings first."  
  
"I don't know...it is so hard...what if she rejects me?"  
  
"Life is always hard, but you must always try, there isn't always such a good opportunity."  
  
"I know..."  
  
"Think about it, ok? Then , tell me what you are going to do. I will always be you friend and stay by your side. "  
  
"Thank you, Fuu...for everything."  
  
"You are welcome."  
  
She left the library with a thinking Clef. 'It is your choice that may change the fate. Remeber that' she thought. And then, she arrived at Ferio's bedroom. He was sitting on his bed, admiring his homeland. Well, what was left of his homeland. He heard her light footsteps and quickly turned his head, with a bright smile on his face. Fuu couldn't help but smile back. He was made her feel so well...  
  
"Ferio, are you busy?"  
  
"Nope. So, do you wanna talk about something?"  
  
"Ye...No, not really. What are you doing?"  
  
"Just admiring the landscape. It is so sad, but I am sure that soon it will turn into that beautiful land that I know."  
  
"I also believe in that.Well, I think I am leaving and..."  
  
"No! Please, stay here...with me..." he pleaded slowly. She saw the fear and sorrow in his eyes and smiled to calm him. She slowly walked to his bed and sat by his side. He hugged her and brought her nearer to him. They stayed like that for hours, embraced with each other and happy. Time had stopped for both of them...  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"  
  
"So Umi, what do you want to do?" asked an eager Askot.  
  
"Humm...I don't know. Let's walk, ok?I am full of energy!"  
  
"Sure."  
  
The two were walking through the long corridors, Askot as her guide. 'Askot is such a nice guy...I am so happy to be with him!' They arrived at the garden and sat on a bench. Askot was holding Umi's hand tightly but tenderly.  
  
"Let's stop for a moment. You must be exhausted."  
  
"Wow, I am. This castle is huge!"  
  
"I know. The first time I came here, I got lost. It was terrible. I felt so lonely and scared..."  
  
"But now you feel like it is your home, right?"  
  
"Yes. It is my home, actually."  
  
"My castle in Selece can't even compare to this castle.It is much more luxuous and bigger"  
  
"Are you...Are you going to go back to your land when this war is...finished?" he asked, a lump in his throat. She hadn't thought about that yet and felt sad to leave this castle. She felt so right here, with Askot...  
  
"I...I don't know." She replied quietly. He nodded and sighed. He couldn't imagine his life without Umi. He would give up everything to be with her. Even his home.  
  
"So...I will go to Selece, then."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"I can't live without you Umi. I would feel so imcomplete and empty. I would do anything for you, even leave Cephiro."  
  
"Askot...You...I love you so much..."  
  
"I also love you, Umi, and a lot..."  
  
They kissed. Their first kiss. Umi felt happy and her heart jolted from happiness. 'I love him so much...don't I?' A small shadow was formed in Umi's mind but she tried to keep that away. Her heart was his and of no one else's. At least, she hoped that.  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~""~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~  
  
The next day, the three magic knights prepared themselves for the final fight. It was their last chance. They said good-bye to their beloved ones and left the safety of the castle.  
  
"Are we far enough of the castle?" asked Hikaru.  
  
"Let's walk just a little more, ok Hikaru-san?"  
  
"Ok! Umi-chan, what's the problem?"  
  
"What? Oh, nothing, I was just thinking. "  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Our future."  
  
"We can do it, don't worry. Remember our promise? We will grow up together and stay together till the day we die."  
  
"Yes, I remember. "  
  
Booom!!!The girls stopped and tried to find the source of that explosion. Floating in middair was Alcyone.  
  
"So, you've finally arrived. I was afraid that you had given up and left Cephiro unprotected."  
  
"Oh, shut up. We aren't this kind of people. We are loyal to our friends." Replied an irritated Umi.  
  
"Humm...the little girl is irritated?"  
  
"Hey, don't call me little girl!"  
  
"Oh, sorry little girl."  
  
"Grrr....Water Dragon!"  
  
Alcyone easily dodged the attack and started to speak again.  
  
"So, it seems that you are still too weak compared to me. Well, that's a pity, because I won't let you alive this time. I will destroy Cephiro today."  
  
Fuu looked at Hikaru and Umi, and the three of them nodded.  
  
"Rayearth!"  
  
"Selece!"  
  
"Windon!"  
  
Three huge beasts appeared from nowhere and knelt in front of their respective owners.  
  
* Yes, my magic knight? *  
  
* Please, we need to become one...this fight is very important to me... *  
  
* As you wish, my maiden *  
  
Three beasts walked in the direction of their respective masters. As they touched them, strong wind envolved the three pairs, making it impossible to distinguish them. Then, all of a sudden, the wind stopped and three gigantic robots stood at the place where the magic knights were in the beginning.  
  
"Humm...interesting...you are using your mashins...so will I! Heily!"  
  
The same wind that had envolved the magic knights also envolved Alcyone. And then, there was also another robot at the same spot where Alcyone once stood. It was all black, except fro its firey red eyes. It had demon's wings and it was grabbing a sword,a long mortal blade.  
  
"I can't believe it! She also has a mashin!"shouted Umi.  
  
"Oh no, oh no, oh no..."said Hikaru.  
  
"I...So there is no more hope?"cried out Fuu.  
  
"No, we must try, maybe there is a chance, right girls?" asked Hikaru.  
  
"Yes, we must try first. Let's go!!" shouted Umi.  
  
The three attacked together, with their swords already in hands. Alcyone used her own sword to stop the attack. With the free hand, she conjured a spell and sent it toward the three.  
  
"Mortal Daggers!"  
  
"Guardian Winds!" Fuu tried desperately to keep the spell up. She wouldn't let her friends down. Never again. Finally, the daggers finished and the three were still no harmed.  
  
"Ruby Lightming!"  
  
"SapphireTyphoon!"  
  
The two attacks combined together and aimed Alcyone. She used her sword to cut that ball of energy into two, which exploded right after the place where she was. She started to laugh histerically and sent another spell.  
  
"Freezing Hurricane!"  
  
The three magic knights jumped away from the attack, but the hurricane didn't leave them in peace. It started to hunt them.  
  
"What?! It is coming after us!"  
  
"No, it is not. Flame Arrow!"  
  
The fire arrow flew in the direction of the hurricane. When it touched the hurricane, it exploded, sending pieces of ice in all directions, cutting Hukaru's face, Umi's right leg and Fuu's left arm.  
  
"She's too strong!"  
  
"We must not give up, girls. Umi-san, Hikaru-san, let's unite our powers now!"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
"Ok, Fuu-chan! Ruby Lightning!"  
  
"Sapphire Typhoon!"  
  
"Emerald Whirlwind!"  
  
Those three attacks mixed up and became one ball of energy, aiming at Alcyone. It was ten times bigger than the first one that they had done the day before.  
  
Alcyone once more grabbed her sword and protected herself from the ball of energy. It was pushing her away from the girls and then, it exploded, sending the three magic knights to the ground.  
  
"What...what happened. Coff, coff...Hikaru, Fuu, where are you?"  
  
"I am over here, Umi-chan!" replied Hikaru, who was struggling to stand up. By her side was Fuu, who was unconscious.  
  
"Oh, my God! Fuu!" Umi ran to her friend.  
  
"Oh no! Fuu-chan, please, wake up..." tears started to form in Hikaru's eyes. One single tear escaped from her eyes and fell on Fuu's face. She squirmed and opened her eyes.  
  
"Hikaru...Umi..."  
  
"You are ok!! Thank goodness! I was so afraid that you..."  
  
"Hikaru! Don't even say that! Hey, Fuu, can you stand up?"  
  
"I think so..." She slowly stood up, and looked around.  
  
"It seems that we won..." she smiled at her friends.  
  
"Yep!"  
  
"What did you say, my sweety?"  
  
The three turned their heads in the direction of that voice and saw Alcyone flying in their direction. With her sword in hands, she threw each magic knight far from each other, with blood escaping from their wounds and mouth.  
  
"Wow, that attack was good...but not enough."  
  
The three girls bravely stood up and faced their enemy.  
  
"We...we will never win..." mumbled Fuu.  
  
"Fuu-chan! Never think that way! Remember our promise? You won't brake it, right?"  
  
"Yeah, Fuu, you promised."  
  
She looked at her two friends and smiled. 'It is so good to be with them, even in such a situation...'  
  
"I won't....let's go!"  
  
The three tried once again a physical attack, which proved to be useless. She easily dodged each attack and successfully cut their flesh more and more. When they finally stopped, they were covered in blood and sweat, panting heavily.  
  
"Do you think that you will win ? You are terribly wrong because we have hope in our hearts, We will never give up."  
  
"Oh, really? What about this?"  
  
Alcyone stabbed Hikaru on her left shoulder. She cried out in pain and tried to stop the blood.  
  
"Hahaha...what were you saying?"  
  
"WE WILL NEVER GIVE UP!!!" shouted the three girls at the same time. Their gems of their swords started to glow and suddenly, their respective signs which represented their elemental magic appeared in front on them. With their swords in hand , they conjured their strongest spell ever.  
  
"Spiral Light Attack!!!"  
  
"What?! Ahhhhh!!!!"Alcyone cried out.  
  
The girls knelt and started to pant. That attack had drained almost all their strength and power, but they were happy. They finally got it!  
  
"You...How dare you...Arf, arf..." replied an exhausted Alcyone.  
  
"What?!!! She is alive!"shouted the three girls.  
  
"Please, tell me it is a nightmare..." cried silently Umi.  
  
"I am tired...I can't keep with this any longer..." stated Fuu.  
  
"Why? This is getting too long..." mumbled Hikaru.  
  
"...Please, help me..."  
  
"Who said that?" the three girls asked. It was strange. There was no one there except for them and Alcyone. So, the only one who could have said that was...But that was impossible!  
  
"Stop playing with us, Alcyone."  
  
"Please, help me, I can't control my body..." Alcyone cried out, tears running down her face.  
  
"She is crying..." said Fuu. Then, all of a sudden, Alcyone stabbed Fuu at her left leg. All the while, though, she was crying.  
  
"I don't understand....she attacked Fuu but was crying at the same time. What's happening here?!" Umi shouted.  
  
"...Please, kill me..."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Please, there is no other way...killl me...." pleaded Alcyone.  
  
"I think I am going nuts. Hikaru, did you hear what I think I've heard?" asked Umi.  
  
"Yeah, and I am also very confused."  
  
"She's...she'd being controlled by evil." Replied slowly Fuu.  
  
"What?!"  
  
Fuu was going to explain them the situation when Alcyone tried once again another attack at her. Fuu simply jumped to the side and casted another spell.  
  
"Emerald Whirlwind!"  
  
It threw Alcyone far away, giving her time to explain her discovery.  
  
"Do you remember the legend? It said that evil possessed a woman's body and started to attack Cephiro. It wasn't the woman's fault. She was being controlled by evil. Our attack must have freed Alcyone's consciousness, but she can't comtrol her body."  
  
"So...she want us to...kill her?!"asked a shocked Umi.  
  
"Yes...there is no other way. We can't free her from evil."  
  
"Oh no! There must be a way!" shouted Hikaru.  
  
The three hunged their heads low and started to cry. They needed to kill an innocent woman! It wasn't fair! The evil, the real enemy, was going to be finally sealed away, but with a high cost : a woman's life.  
  
Alcyone noticed that the girls had stopped fighting and took advantage of it. She sneaked behind a mountain and then, she attacked.  
  
"Umi!!Behind you!"  
  
"Wha...Ahhh!"she cried, blood spilling out of her injured shoulder.  
  
"How dare you!" screamed Hikaru.  
  
"Please, kill me..."  
  
Hikaru stopped. She couldn't do this. It was so unfair...  
  
"Watch out Hikaru-san!"  
  
Fuu jumped in front of her friend as a shield and received the attack.  
  
"Ahhh!"  
  
"Fuu-chan!!"  
  
Fuu fell to the ground.  
  
"NO!!!Fuu-chan...Umi-chan..."  
  
"I am sorry...please, this is my land, I can't see it like this any longer. Please, turn my wish into reality..." Alcyone pleaded.  
  
Hikaru closed her eyes, crying. Fuu and Umi, who were lying on the ground, also heard Alcyone's words and were also crying. Then, strong wind started to envolve the three mashins where the three magic knights were. They became light and the three lights gathered together and formed a bigger one, which started to take form. Their elemental signs had also joined together. Slowly, we could see its outlines. It had Fuu's mashin's wings, Umi's mashin's body and Hikaru's mashin's face. It had the colour of white, pure white. It was grabbing a sword made of light. It was impossible to describe its form due to the amount of light that was being radiated from it.  
  
Alcyone decided to attack this new opponent, not caring if it possessed the power of the three magic knights together. She was flying toward it, sword aiming its heart. The mashin stared at the figure of that poor woman and also started to fly towards it. Towards the fate that the magic knights tried so desperately to avoid . But, it is impossible to change fate nor the legend of the magic knights.  
  
As they approached, Alcyone started to smile, a genuine smile. She knew that finally, she would be free from that nightmare. Finally!  
  
Alcyone didn't even have time to react as the white mashin's sword pierced through her heart. She started to disappear, transforming into dust. But, she was happy. When she finally disappeared, there was a black shadow at the place where Alcyone was. The white mashin's sword's gem started to glow. White feathers started to envelope the black shadow. Then, it disappeared. The evil was sealed away for ever.  
  
"Once again the evil possessed a poor woman's body and mind. But, it will never possess this world because goodness will always defeat evil.The magic knights will be there to protect this world till the end of the universe. The magic knights, the ones with the strongest hearts in this world. I am their heart's strongest feeling. I am HOPE!"  
  
As a flash of light, Hope desintegrated and transformed into dust. That same dust started to gather together, forming three figures, slowly. They were the original mashins. Those mashins started to glow and suddenly, the magic knights apppeared and the mashins disappeared. The three girls had sad faces. They weren't used to killl someone, and the guilt it gave them was incredible.  
  
"We did it, girls." Fuu spoke quietly.  
  
"Yes, we really did it." Commented Hikaru.  
  
"Now I understand the legend and why we couldn't defeat her before." Told them Umi. "We really had to be one .One soul and one body."  
  
As the night was approaching, they decided to return home. And so they did. 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven  
  
P.S.: I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth.  
  
The arrival of the magic knights, safe and unharmed, made four hearts jump with joy. Princess Emerauld decided to prepare a party to celebrate to end of the danger and the beginning of a new era full of peace in Cephiro. The three, while preparing themselves for the party, were discussing about their current situation. Stay in Cephiro or leave this beautiful land and keep protecting their own lands? They had qualms about which one was the correct answer, but theuy decided to follow their hearts.  
  
The party was wonderful. Princess Emerauld had told her chefs to cook all the delicious existent platters in the whole world. The chefs accomplished her desire, and the dinner table was covered with all the types of foos, since the most simple cake till the most refined mousse. The magic knights, specially Hikaru, was drooling over the table, and Lantis had to take her away from it.  
  
Fuu and Ferio were sitting on a sofa, chatting and eating biscuits. Fuu was grabbing a plate with her right hand, while her left hand was under Ferio's right hand, gently caressing her hand with his thumb. He had fun teasing her, watching her blush and try to hide her shiness.  
  
Askot was talking to Lafarga and Caldina, but he couldn't halp shooting glances at his beloved one. Umi was talking to Clef, who was trying to smile and enjoy the party. But, it was too hard to him. The beautiful siren in front of him could never be his. It's so hard to resign my heart...  
  
The hours flew away and it was already two in the morning. Some people were already tired and leaving the hall to sleep. Hikaru was one of them. Before she could step any further, Fuu grabbed her shoulder and gently guided her back to the hall.  
  
"Hmm...Fuu...Why can't I go to bed now?"  
  
"Don't you remember? We must tell Emerauld our decision..."  
  
"Oh, yeah,I've almost forgotten..."  
  
"You did forget!"  
  
"Hey, no way! I wasa just...Uaaaahhh...sorry...going to the bathroom."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah...Sao, where's Umi?"  
  
"She's over there, talking to Clef. Let's go, ok?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
The two girls slowly approached the couple. Umi greeted her friends and said good bye to Clef. Before the three walked away, Fuu shot a glance at Clef, warning him that his time was almost over.  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~  
  
"Princess Emerauld, excuse us, but may we talk to you just for a moment?" asked politely Fuu.  
  
"Oh, certainly. What is the matter, my friends?"  
  
Fuu looked at her friends and they nodded. She inhaled deeply and replied.  
  
"We...we want to give up of our lands."  
  
"What?! Give up?"  
  
"Yes. We...We want to stay in Cephiro with...with out beloved ones."  
  
Emerauld smiled.  
  
"I will grant your wish. Let's go to my private room."  
  
They left the hall and entered the Prayer Room.  
  
"Now, please, we need to form a circle. Yes, like this. Now, you must wish with all your heart that you want to give up on your lands. I will wish that they may be annexed to Cephiro. Are you prepared girls?"  
  
"Yes." The three replied in unison. Green, Red, Blue and White rays started to emanate from their bodies. Then, the light duisappeared and they opened their eyes. They didn't know for sure if it had workede but somehow, they could feel that they were freed from that duty.  
  
"Thank Emerauld. Now, girls, I have to do something of extreme importancy.Sleep!" and with that said, she flew away from the room and reached her bedroom. She jumped to her bed and fell asleep.  
  
"...What was that?!" asked an astonished Umi. Fuu only smiled and told them that she was also going to sleep.  
  
"Good night Fuu. Sleep with the angels."  
  
"Thank you Umi. Princess...excuse me." And then she left.  
  
"I think I'm going to go back the party. Askot is waiting for me." Umi said.  
  
"No problem. See you tomorrow." And then, the princess left the room.  
  
It seems that I'm all by myself now...any way, let's go back to the party!  
  
When she arrived at the hall, she noticed that Askot had already went to his bedroom. Hey, he should have waited for me! Oh well...I think I'm also gonna sleep then...suddenly, someone touched her shoulder. She turned around and saw Clef.  
  
"May I talk to you?"  
  
"Ahn...Sure."  
  
He guided her to the garden that she knew too well. They sat at the same bench where Askot and her had shared their first kiss. She blushed. Why am I thinking about this thing right now? She thought. She noticed that Clef was still silent, watching the stars as if he was seraching an answer for a very hard question.  
  
She waited for him to start talking. They stayed like that for some minutes, but for her, it seemed like the whole eternity. It's so strange to be here, with him...I feel so...calm and there's something else in my heart...I...I don't know what it is...  
  
"Umi? Do you love Askot?"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Do you love him?"  
  
"Yes, of course I do! I gave up Selece for him!"  
  
"...What would you do if you knew that there's another heart that lives for you, that loves to see your smile or wished to be loved by you?"  
  
"I...I..."  
  
"...Because I know this person. It is me."  
  
"Clef...I..."  
  
"I know it is too late but I just wanted you to know my feelings. Your friend Fuu told me that anything can change, even the future. I hope that it will happen tonight, but I know it is only a wishful thought..."  
  
"Clef...I also...love you..." she mumbled. Cled got really surprized and looked at her, trying to figure out if that was true or jus something to ease his heart. His heart jumped with joy when he saw sincerity within those blue orbs that he loved so much.  
  
]  
  
"Umi, I...I love you..."  
  
He was almost kissing her when she turned her face, avoiding the kiss. He was taken aback by her reaction and waited for an answer for that.  
  
"I'm so confused...I...I also loce Askot, I can't do this to him..."  
  
"I see...so you love him more than me?"  
  
"I...I don't know..."  
  
Shelifted her head to watch the stars. They were shining, bringing light to the obscurity of the night. I don't know what to do! I love him...Now I know what I was feeling everytine I was near him...But I also love Askot, his green eyes, his boyish featutes and his shiness...but I also love Clef, his...hmm, tghat's really strange, I've never noticed how Clef looked like. I just had to know that it was Clef and that enough to me .  
  
"The first time I saw you, I fell in love with you. Until then, I didn't believe in this thing of love at first sight. Now, I do."  
  
"Clef, please, ghelp me, tell me what to do!" she pleaded. He smiled but didn't grab her hands.  
  
"I can't tell you what to do Umi, because it is your life, not mine, only you can choose it."  
  
That's was when she understood that she would find no help from him. If only he had touched her...but he didn't.  
  
Askot, Clef...I'm so unsure...Suddenly, she saw Alcyone's face, full of tears. Why am I thinking about har right now? What does she has to do with my future, with my choice? I hope some day, I will forget her face and keep going with my life. Forget her face...I know it will happen sooner or later...But, what it Askot died? Would I forget about him, his face, his features? ...Yes, I would...  
  
Suddenly, the choice she had ro choose presented itself as the easy life and the hard life. She knew what kind of life she would share with Askot, full of joy and daily work, children and then...death. But, with Clef, it was hard to say. There'd be times that she wouldn't know what Clef was thinking. It would always be full of surprises, good and bad ones. It wouldn't be like with Askot, having nothing to fear except for death...  
  
Death...once again death...Maybe Askot died, and then, I would forget his handsome face...she turned her head and saw Clef also admiring the night.  
  
"Clef, I've done my decision. I want to spend the rest of my life with you until the day I die."  
  
Cled smiled and hugged her. He kissed her red lips and they stayed like that for hours.  
  
If Clef has to die, I won't forget about him! Clef is a song that will stay in my heart for ever...Which means ....there is no more death...  
  
~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~""~"~"~"~"~"~The End~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"~"  
  
Finally, I'm done! Now, here are my thanks to all of you who reviewed and made me continue with this story.  
  
Shazzam : Thanks a lot! You reviewed every chapter and you didn't flame! Wow that's incredible! So, here are my sincere thanks and I hope you will read my future stories too, and who knows, help me write a new one, right? ^^  
  
Sushigirl : Thanks a lot ^^ You were always saying that you loved my story and to continue writing Thanks yooouuu. By the way, I also read your stories, but I'm just too lazy to review. But from now on, I promise that I'll review tour stories evry time I read them, ok? By the way, I love you TEEHEE^^  
  
Liz : Thanks for your comments, and I really think they made me see the mistakes and that the story is kinda angsty, but, it wasn't my intention.  
  
MooFairy"Thank you for reviewing and the comment about the time problem ( I'm too lazy to count the days ). Here are my sincere thanks. Bows  
  
Gettochild : Hey, thanks a lot!! I love you reviews, they are always so cheerful, making me feel the necessity to write more. That's true! So, thanks a lot once more. Doumo Arigatou Gozaimasu.  
  
Emerauld Princess : You were one of the first people to review my story and it motivated me to write more. Besided that, you kept reviewing and I'm really happy and flattered by that.  
  
Now, my sincere thanks to all the people who reviewed telling me with whom Umi shoud stay with. I'm sorry all Askot/Umi fans, but I had noticed that there was a huger number of Clef/Umi fans, so I decided to make it a C/U story. Sorry.  
  
Oh, I know lots of you reviewed and I'm not mentioning your names here. The problem is that it would get really long, but keep this in mind : I read all the reviews and all of them helped me write this story. ALL of them. So, I think that now, I should say my good-byes...*sniff sniff*  
  
See ya later in my next story!!  
  
Sissi 


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